Gift
by SassyAngel05
Summary: Wesley stumbles upon a girl with a gift and she turns out being an asset to Wolfram and Hart. Mainsteram Spoilers. WesFredIllyria and ConnorOC.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Gift

Author: Sassy

Rating: PG-13 

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all except Liberty.

Spoiler Warning: There are a few mainstream spoilers in this story, I'm playing with what could happen.

Pairing: Wesley/Fred/Illyria, Connor/Original Character

Summary: Wesley stumbles upon a girl with a gift and she turns out to be quite an asset to Wolfram and Hart.

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter One_**

**_Meeting_**

            It was completely dark in the alleyway.  Everything around her was pitch black.  She couldn't see much since the streetlights had gone out, but she wasn't afraid.  She wasn't ignorant to what came out at night; she'd been aware since she was a small girl.  She simply wasn't afraid any longer.  She had an ability, as she liked to call it.  She could look into people's eyes and know if they were good or evil; she could find vampires, demons, possessions, witches, humans, demon worshippers, just about anything.  It had never failed her, though it sometimes terrified her.  She tried to see it as a gift, after all, it had saved her many times before.  Still, she wished she could be blissfully unaware of what people really were.  At times like now.  She pulled a stake out of her jacket pocket as the boy who had tried to pick her up approached her.  She had gone with him just to rid the world of him.  His features had changed into the horrible visage of a vampire and the lights had been shut off since they entered the alley.  He probably assumed that would give him the advantage.  Vampires believed themselves so clever; this one a tag-team with an elaborate plan.  She positioned the stake in the right spot just as a bright light came from the side of the alley.  It was too late for the vampire; he'd already walked into the stake.  She turned to see who exited the car, and found a man with brown hair, dressed nicely, step out of the car.

"I was coming to your aide, but you seem to have yourself handled quite well."

He was close enough that she could see into his deep blue eyes.  The feeling washed over her, a mix of evil and good, but the goodness won out.  Confusion and sadness hit her as well.  She smiled shyly and glanced down at her feet, worried about making so much eye contact with the human.  She was always afraid someone would discover she was a freak.  Her mother knew and that was it.  

"Well, no, I didn't.  I've been killing vampires since I was eight.  That's when I discovered how to."

"And how did you know of the vampires here?  I had received several reports of murdered girls in the last week.  I was coming to find the vampires responsible, but it seems you've taken care of it."

She shrugged a bit, not bothering to answer him.

"What is your name?"

His British accent soothed her somewhat.  It was soft and polite and very comforting.

"I didn't introduce myself, did I?"  He continued.  "I suppose it's only right for me to tell you my name before I ask yours.  I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce."

 She replaced the stake into her pocket and shifted a bit.  She cleared her throat, deciding whether to respond.

"I'm Liberty Jamieson."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance.  I work at the Los Angeles firm of Wolfram and Hart."

Liberty took a step away from him at the mention of the evil law firm.  She had thought he was good, she'd felt it.  

"I would be ecstatic if you would come in tomorrow and talk with me, Miss Jamieson."

"I have school tomorrow."

Wesley folded his arms across his chest, seeming to consider what she just said.

"You did seem a bit young.  How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen.  I'm a junior in high school."

Wesley seemed to be a bit put out, though she didn't understand his disappointment.  He hadn't been hitting on her.  She knew when boys or men were hitting on her.  So why was he disappointed that she was seventeen?

"Ah, well, that puts a bit of a crimp in my plans.  All the same, I would still like for you to come into my office tomorrow.  After school would be acceptable."

"Why?"

"You'll have to come tomorrow to find out."

"You have me intrigued, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce."

"That is the intention, Miss Jamieson."

"Liberty or Libby, please.  If I'm going to your office, you should at least call me by my first name.  I'm not old."

"Same for you, then.  I like to think I'm not old."

Liberty smiled sweetly.  "I'll come tomorrow, Wesley.  At 3:30."

"I look forward to it."  Wesley slipped her a neatly printed business card.  Liberty studied it before putting in her jeans' back pocket.  Her thick black hair fell delicately over her shoulder as she turned away.  

"I'd offer you a ride, Liberty…"

"But I was taught to never get into cars with strange men."

He returned her toothy grin and sighed at her flippant wave as she walked on to the main street.  Wesley paused a few moments before returning to his own car.

            Liberty got into her car, not looking forward to the Los Angeles traffic.  That was one thing she'd hated since she'd gotten her driver's license was waiting in traffic.  School had been out for five minutes and she was on her way to the offices of Wolfram and Hart.  She wasn't sure why she was going to go there.  She knew the reputation the law firm had in the dark side of Los Angeles.  Still, Wesley seemed honest to her, quite an oxymoron if he was a lawyer.  She waited at a stoplight and applied some extra lip-gloss, since her previous had worn out.  She'd worn a pink and green striped skirt and a green shirt that matched her eyes, trying her best to look professional.  Why was she trying to look professional?  She was just full of questions that very day.  She pulled into the parking lot and parked into a guest spot.  She walked into the huge offices and suddenly felt intimidated.  She rarely felt it, but the law firm was a raging building of evilness, with spots of purity and goodness everywhere.  It confused her and almost caused her a great pain.  She took a deep breath and walked to the front desk.

"I'm looking for Wesley Wyndam-Pryce."

The receptionist stared at her for a moment, then nearly glared.  She looked quite curious at the sight of a young girl asking for Wesley, but didn't dare question it.  
"He is on floor three, in the library.  Go on up, and his secretary will take you to him."

Liberty nodded and twisted her purse strap as she made her way to the elevator.

            The secretary had been expecting her, and led her right to Wesley.  He was seated at a desk, with many different books piled around him, one extra large one in front of him. 

"Am I disturbing you, Wesley?"  
"No, just trying to avert the next apocalypse."

"You make it sound typical."

"It is." 

Liberty scanned the room she was in, surprised by all the books and files that surrounded her.  

"Have a seat, Liberty."

"You have a bit of everything in here, don't you?"  
"Wolfram and Hart must have every available resource.  Anything less would be tragic."

He was a bit sarcastic on that front.  Liberty tilted her head, trying to find any other indication of the meaning of his words but found nothing.  They sat quietly, despite the curiosity of both.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"  
"I wanted to ask you some questions.  Say, how did you discover the truth about vampires?"  
"When I saw one lure a girl into the street and eat her."

"That would do it.  And ever since you fought vampires?"  
"No.  Not really.  It's kind of complicated, Wesley, and hard to explain."

"I do work here until nine or ten at night usually."

Libby shrugged and slouched down in her chair, no longer caring if she made a perfect impression.  She didn't know if she could trust Wesley with her secret.  It wasn't something she spread around, in fact, her mother was the only one aware of her ability.  She didn't tell people about it.  They were blissfully ignorant of the entire existence of the supernatural and the mystical and she wasn't about to tell people about it.  Wesley, of course, was aware of the magicks, but was it time to tell him about it?  Trust him with her deepest, darkest, longest kept secret?  
"I have a gift."

"A gift."

"I've had it since I was a little girl.  I didn't understand it until I turned eight.  I'd read a little bit of Bunnicula and began checking books out about vampires.  A lot of vampire books also covered demons.  And I realized that some of these things I was seeing in the eyes of people I met.

            "Then, one day my Mom took me to the movies.  I looked into the eyes of a man I'd met and could feel his bloodlust and not much else.  My mom went to go get popcorn for us and I followed the man outside, where he'd taken this girl.  His face changed and he bit her.  That was when I realized what I'd started to read was real.  That was why I got so many different feelings from these people.  I had a gift.  I started telling my mom and we started looking into it, and we realized what was happening.   So if someone needs help, I'll kill the monster.  If not, I just leave it alone."

Wesley placed his hands in a triangle after putting his book down.  
"That is quite an impressive story."

"I suppose so."

"You're not like anyone I've ever met, Libby."

"Was that a line?"

Wesley chuckled.  "No.  But you knew that.  I was quite impressed by your work last night with that vampire.  You seemed to have no fear and you took care of him with no problems."

"I'm glad you like my moves."  Liberty giggled like the teenager she was and Wesley couldn't help but smile at her.

"You remind me so much of them."

"Who?"

"Several women I used to know.  All have died, but you're like a mixture of each personality."

Libby blushed and bit her lip.  She wasn't sure how to take it.  Wesley looked lost in his own personal reverie; walking down memory lane, so to speak.

"I'm not sure whether to say thank you or not."

Wesley shook his head and shifted in his chair.

"I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable, just making an observation.  I actually asked you here, Libby, to offer you a job."

Liberty leaned back, sitting up a bit straighter.  

"Excuse me?"

"A job.  I'd like you to head a teen research division."

"A teen research division."

"Many young adults are changed into vampires, romanced into demon worshipping cults, etc.  You could help us keep a watch out for them.  And since I'm now aware of your other talents, you could help us on other cases as well."

Liberty could hardly breathe, the entire situation seemed surreal to her.  She was seventeen and she was being offered a prestigious position at a top law firm in Los Angeles.  How realistic was that?  

"You'll even have your own office."

"Well, then, of course, that sells me."

She grinned as she tried to process everything.

"All right.  I'll have to check it with my mother.  But I do still have to go to school."

"Consider it an after school job."

"With my own office?"

Wesley nodded.  "I'll expect you to start work tomorrow.  I'll introduce you to the rest of the team then.  Just know some of them are a bit-different than usual.  You may get some confusing reads off of them."

"I got a confusing read off of you."

Wesley ignored the remark.  "I'll see you tomorrow, Liberty."

Though she was a little ticked that she was being dismissed when she wanted to ask Wesley so many questions, she decided to leave.  There was going to be plenty of time to question Wesley about his feelings later.  

"Thank you, Wesley."

He nodded as she turned away from him and left the library.  Wesley leaned back in his chair and pulled out his laptop from underneath a pile of books.  He needed to open a file on Liberty.  She was, after all, now a Wolfram and Hart employee.


	2. Staff

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_Staff_**

            Liberty was nervous; it was her first day at Wolfram and Hart.  She'd dressed up once again, but she was going to ask Wesley if she could dress casual in general.  She couldn't keep going to public high school in a skirt everyday.  She realized how petty it was that she was thinking about clothes, but she couldn't help it.  Liberty was anxious all day long; she couldn't even concentrate on her assignments.  But school had finally ended and she was now at Wolfram and Hart.  She was ushered back by a woman in her mid-thirties to a room where a photo was taken for her ID badge.  She had an ID badge.  Apparently, that was how she would be able to get in and out of certain wings and rooms.  Liberty was then informed that her office was on the fifth floor and that there was a staff meeting at 7 that night.  Seven seemed a little late for a staff meeting, but who was she to complain?  Unfortunately, the woman deserted her after telling her where her office was and Liberty was left to roam around the halls.  She got into the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor.  She was hoping that the elevator would open directly into her office, but that floor was just as big as all the others.  Liberty sighed as she pulled her purse closer to her.  Liberty started to chew on her lip; the nervous habit she'd dropped years before.  Liberty walked slowly, deliberately looking for anybody who could help her.  A voice cleared and Liberty spun.  She hadn't heard anyone come up behind her.  Her green eyes met his blue ones as she crashed into his chest.  A confusing feeling washed over her, he was a vampire, but he didn't seem at all evil.  She stared wide-eyed at him, unable to move.  

"Didn't mean to frighten you, pet.  Are you lost?"

Liberty nodded, showing her badge.

"I, uh, I just started working here.  I was looking for my office.  I was told it was up here, but I don't know where."

The man shot her a tight-lipped smile, but a bit of pity shone in his eyes.

"I'm Spike."

She nodded again.  
"And you are…"

"Liberty.  Jamieson.  Sorry.  I'm just a little off-kilter today."

"Working at a new place and all, I'm sure.  Don't worry, most of us don't bite.  And the ones that do will be killed immediately."

Liberty let herself laugh lightly as Spike started to walk her down the hall.

"Spike's a different name."

He winked at her and shrugged.  "Yes, well, that's a long story. Truly, my name was William, but no one calls me that anymore."

"How come?"  
"I've been Spike for over 100 years, pet."

"So you are a vampire."

"How'd you know that?  Just because I'm over 100 doesn't mean I'm a vampire."

Liberty glanced up at him.  "I can tell.  I look into people's eyes and I can see what they truly are."

"Look at Angel and you'll see a poof."

"Who's Angel?"

"Boss man around here."

"Wesley isn't?"

Spike seemed to think that was a hysterical concept.  

"No.  Angel's in charge, or likes to think so.  Really, it was Fred…"

Spike got really quiet after the mention of Fred, almost mournful.  She didn't ask him who Fred was, though she wanted to ask him desperately.  She didn't think it was polite.  She was already grilling the vampire about everyone else.

"You confuse me, Spike."

"Do I?  I suppose I am a man of mystery."

"I didn't say you were Austin Powers.  I just said you confuse me.  You're a vampire but I didn't feel anything evil about you."

"Probably 'cos I got me a nice and shiny soul.  It kind of stops me from being evil."

Liberty nodded, taking every bit in stride.

"Do you work here?  You don't have a badge."

"Do I look like a poofter lawyer?  No.  I just like to haunt about.  Used to be a ghost after I saved the world once.  Got sent here.  But now I'm just your typical ensouled vampire.  Here's your spot, love."

Liberty grinned, deciding she liked the man.  He didn't seem threatening or anything at all.  In fact, he was making her feel comfortable.  

"Guess I won't see you at the staff meeting, then."  Spike smiled at the disappointment on her face.

"Oh, no.  I wouldn't miss it.  It drives Angelus insane!"

He seemed delighted at the idea of driving Angelus crazy.  

"I thought it was Angel."

"Long story.  You'll catch up soon enough."

Spike turned and started walking away from the office.

"Hey Spike!"

He stopped for a moment, waiting for her to finish what she wanted to say.  
"Thank you for your help!"

"No problem.  It's not like I had anything better to do."  Liberty laughed as she walked on into her office.

            Liberty walked timidly into the boardroom.  She'd left her office early just so she could make it to the meeting on time.  It'd taken her long enough to find the room, but she'd triumphantly made it there on time.  Wesley was already there and he nodded at her.  "Liberty.  Go ahead and take a seat.  I'll introduce you to everyone after the meeting starts."

Liberty took the seat closest to the door, as if she thought she'd be able to bolt if she got to nervous.  She tried to not look any of them in the eyes; she didn't want to know to know the members' true nature.  She folded her hands into a teepee and stared at the blank notepad that sat in front of her.  Everyone was seated and a man with gelled hair stood up at the head of the table.

"All right.  Let's get this started.  I'm sure certain members want to get home."

He shot her an indulgent smile and Liberty couldn't help but return the smile.  Their gazes connected and she realized that she got the same feeling off this guy as she did Spike.  Speaking of the blond vampire, he entered the room with big gusto.

"Hello, Peaches.  Sorry I'm late.  Hope I didn't hold up the meeting."

He winked impishly at Liberty before taking the empty chair next to her.    
"Spike.  I don't recall you being a member of the team."

"Aw, now, don't tell me I'm the last to be picked to play kickball.  I play well with others, most of the time."

Liberty sensed the tension between the two, but she had to suppress a giggle.  Spike was funny.  She liked him.  She'd officially decided it.  

"Boys, I think we should move on."  Wesley cut in.  The other man nodded in agreement.

Wesley motioned towards Liberty.  "This is Liberty Jamieson.  She has a gift of being able to tell each person's true nature.  Say, she knew I was human, I'm sure if you wanted to test her, she could say what each of us is.  She's seventeen and still attends high school, but I hired her to head up the new Teen Research Division."

The man nodded again.  
"I'm Angel, the CEO of this branch of Wolfram and Hart."

Liberty recalled the words of Spike previously.  A poof was what he'd called him.

"You're a vampire with a soul."

"How did you know I had a soul?"

"Well, I got the same read off of you as I did Spike, so I assumed…"

Angel's eyes narrowed at being compared to Spike but accepted it nonetheless.  

"You're correct."

Next to Angel was Lorne.  
"I'm Lorne, cupcake.  I'm in charge of the Entertainment Division."  
"You're an empathic demon."

"You hit it right on the nose, dollface." 

"I'm Charles Gunn, the lawyer."

Liberty connected eyes with him and one of the oddest feelings struck her.  She tried to chalk it up to performance anxiety or just too many confusing reads emitting off of each new person she met, but she couldn't.  
"You're human."

"Yep."

A ditsy blond girl sat next to Gunn.  She had a pen poised, but it appeared that she was only doodling unicorns, not notes.

"I'm Harmony, Angel's secretary."

"You're a vampire, but you don't have a soul."  
"No.  I just got disgusted at the whole drinking people thing.  Plus, you know, Angel forbids it."

The room fell quiet, as if they felt they were missing someone else.  Wesley bit his lip nervously and she wondered if that was why she had felt the sadness.  Maybe they were missing someone else.  Even Spike seemed subdued at that point.  

"We just wanted to welcome you here, Liberty.  You'll be an excellent addition to our team.  If you have any questions, ask any of us except Spike."  Angel added in, breaking the silence.  Spike seemed indignant at his mention to leave him out.  Angel always seemed to be trying to push Spike out.

"I like the girl, Peaches, so she has nothin' to fear from me."

"I do have one question.  Can I wear jeans and stuff to work?  It's kind of weird wearing a skirt to school everyday."

"Of course.  You're in charge of the Teen Division, so I'll let you dress like a teen."

After that was covered, other things were mentioned.  Recent jobs, recent apocalypses, recent problems.  It was about 9:30 when the meeting ended and Lorne offered to walk Liberty out.  Liberty said good-bye to Wesley and gave Spike a quick kiss on the cheek for a good bye before leaving with Lorne.

            "I like her, Wes.  She reminds me so much…"  Angel trailed off and looked up at Wesley.  He nodded.  "I know.  She's like Cordelia and Fred and any traces of goodness in Lilah.  It's amazing."

The loss of the women washed over each male in the room, each mourning them for various reasons.

"Did you hire her because of it?"

"As a reminder of Fred?  No."  Wesley's mind wandered to Fred-no, Illyria-waiting for him at home.  She was staying with him.  He was helping her integrate into human society.  And though she wasn't Fred, at times she would be so naïve and innocent in the ways that the world was now, he would see Fred.  No, he hadn't hired Liberty because she reminded him of Fred.  Illyria did a good job of that.

"Liberty is quite qualified, I'm sure you'll find."

"I have no doubt."

Gunn cut into the conversation.  "She kind of freaks me out.  She was looking at me weird."

Spike chuckled.  "Maybe it was your hair.  Or maybe she knows your secret."

Gunn shifted uncomfortably as if trying to decide if he had a secret or not.

"I don't know.  She just gives me the creeps."

"Give her a chance, Charles.  She hasn't done anything to warrant your dislike."

"Yeah, whatever, English.  I've gotta get back to my office.  Case to be worked."

The meeting broke up after that.

            Lorne walked her down to her car.  He babbled a bit about how excited he was to have her there and how he could get her hooked up with anybody, Chad Michael Murray or Christopher Marquette or even Josh Hartnett.  Liberty declined due to some amazing restraint, but she enjoyed listening to Lorne talk.  He was quite delightful, particularly for a demon.  He seemed to be harmless, which was probably why he was in charge of the entertainment branch.  "If you ever have a problem, just come sing for me.  I'll see if I can help."

"Thanks. Speaking of problems, what was all of that tension between Spike and Angel?  They don't seem to like each other much.  I'd think they'd get along since they're like the only two vampires in the universe with souls."

"Well, they have a history.   Angelus was Spike's grandsire."

"Angelus?"

"Angel's vampiric name.  It's just Angel now, unless he's evil.  So Angelus and Spike plundered Europe and other continents until Spike caught Angelus with Spike's sire, Drusilla.  Ever since, they've had some kind of competition going on, even fell for the same Slayer."

"How'd they end up working together?"

"Long story short, cupcake, Spike saved the world and got mailed back to Wolfram and Hart."

"Oh, and that makes complete and total sense."

Lorne laughed happily.  "Don't try to take it all in in one day.  I still don't understand it all and I've been working for Angelcakes for four years almost."

Liberty nodded.  "I just like being in the loop.  What about Charles?"

"Gunn?  He used to live on the street and had a gang of vampire hunters.  Ended up working for Angel.  Now he's a big, hot shot attorney, got some kind of chip in his head or something."

Liberty digested what Lorne had told her, wondering if that was why she'd gotten a weird read of Gunn.  His brain had been messed with.

"And Wesley?"

"Ex-Watcher.  He's been working with Angel for five years total in LA, and another year in Sunnydale.  He's our research go-to man."

"Anybody else?"

Lorne sighed loudly and shook his head.

"What did I miss?  Everyone is so sad."

"We've just lost two of our best.  Cordelia Chase.  She was a visionary.  She fell into a coma last year and she died a few months ago.  Then my very own Winifred Burkle.  All of us loved her very much and she was recently taken over by a demon goddess, Illyria.  No one knows what happened to Illyria.  That happened a few weeks ago and Wesley was very much in love with her.  They'd only recently gotten together after three years of him pining over her.  It was heartbreaking."

Liberty closed her eyes, able to feel the heartbreak.  
"I'm sorry about their deaths."

"We all are, Sweets."

"I hope you guys don't think I'm trying to be their replacements or anything."

Lorne shook his head emphatically.  "We know."  He opened the car door for Liberty.   
"It was lovely meeting you, Liberty Jamieson.  I'll see you tomorrow.  Maybe we could do dinner."

"Maybe."

She slipped into her car, trying to take in everything she'd been told.  Lorne was a font of information.  She'd sensed he'd love to gossip with her, but after hearing about Winifred and Cordelia, she wanted to leave him to his peace for the moment.  

"Thanks, Lorne."

He smiled, his red eyes sparkling.  He shut the door for her and headed back towards the building.


	3. Shock

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Three_**

**_Shock_**

****

            Liberty had settled into a nice routine.  She'd been working for Wolfram and Hart for a month and half.  She'd finally learned her way around the building, been able to help a number of clients and team Angel, which she loved.  She finally felt like she was doing some good around her.  She'd become good friends with Spike and Lorne, Angel adored her and Wesley seemed proud he'd trusted his instincts on her.  The only person who hadn't warmed up to her was Gunn, but she'd sort of gone out of her way to avoid him.  He just gave her the wiggins, so she tried to not talk to him.  She'd see him in staff meetings and that was about it.  He seemed to be as distrustful of her as she was of him, but she wondered if his distrust was because she was suspicious of him.  She hadn't mentioned her suspicions to anyone, though she had a feeling Lorne knew of them.  Speaking of the green demon, he popped his head in, "Hey, Sweets.  I wanted to make sure we were still doing dinner tonight."

"Of course, unless something comes up, but it's been a slow week."

"Which you should take full advantage of, because speaking from experience, slow is like the eye of the storm.  Something will come.  It always does."

"Thanks, Lorne.  I love it when you talk gloom and doom.  I thought you were supposed to be uplifting."

Lorne laughed before giving her a wave as he left.  Liberty leaned back in her desk chair, staring at the computer screen ahead of her.  It really had been a slow week.  She was playing Solitaire due to lack of things to do. ***buzz***

Liberty looked down at the phone, Lorne's words seeping into her mind.  Yep, the eye of the storm.

"Yes?"

Harmony's cheerful voice spoke, "Libby?  Angel wants to talk to you.  He's being Mr. Grumpypants about it, too.  I hope you're not in trouble."

"I don't think I am, Harm.  Guess we'll find out.  Tell Angel I'll be there in a few."

"Okie dokie."  Liberty heard the phone disconnect as she stood up.  She hadn't done anything wrong that she knew of.  Her clients had been okay in all of the follow-ups she'd made, so she couldn't figure anything out.  She slid on her jacket as she walked down to the elevator, deciding that she'd find out soon enough.

            Angel's face was ashen, well, more so than usual.  He tried to paste a smile on his face, one of the fake, cheerful ones, but he couldn't even manage it.  Wesley was there with him and Angel could see the full reaches of the spell Wolfram and Hart had performed.  No sign of recognition hit Wesley's face, nor the boy's in front of him.  Angel felt like his heart had been ripped out and stabbed with a stake a few hundred times.  It just hadn't been a good year for him.  First Cordelia, then Spike popping up, then Fred, and now this. Things weren't supposed to be this way, but things never went the way they were supposed to.  He tried to focus on what the family was telling him, but he couldn't.  He had to get Libby in his office.  She could take care of the boy.  She would have to.  Someone knocked on the door softly and then it opened.  Liberty smiled sweetly at him after seeing there were others in the office.  "You wanted to see me, Angel?"

"Yes, Libby, come on in."  Liberty walked in, examining Angel's face.  He looked like death warmed over, pun intended.  He seemed heartbroken, relieved, and hurt all at once.  Quite a combination of emotions for the master brooder.  

"Liberty Jamieson is in charge of our Teen Research Division.  Liberty, these are the Johnsons, Jonathan and Elizabeth.  This is their-" Angel paused before continuing, "their son, Connor."

The boy turned to face her and Liberty felt like she'd been hit by a truck.  Someone had been messing with his mind, the confusion was there.  He was obviously human, but he seemed to have powers that no human could ever have, even with magicks.  

"Hey."  He said it sullenly, as if it hurt to speak.  He looked like he could give Angel a run for his money in the brooding department, but on him, it was cute.  His eyes were brown and soulful and his hair was a shaggy brown, a bit falling in his eyes.  He looked like he was around her age, so she knew why Angel had called her in.  What she didn't understand was what had made Angel so grumpy about this case.  It didn't seem to be any different than any of the others they had experienced.

"Hi."  The parents exchanged looks, as if to say, 'teenagers?!'  Angel continued on with his conversation with the parents.

"Liberty can help us research Connor's abilities.  Wesley will be looking into them as well, but I think Libby will be able to take better care of Connor."

He looked up at Liberty and addressed her, "Why don't you take Connor to your office?  I think he'll be more comfortable talking to you than he will me.  I'm just an old guy."

"Angel, you're not that old…"

Angel chuckled a bit, the first hint of the Angel she recognized since she'd walked into the office.  Okay, so maybe Angel was old.

"Connor, if you want to come upstairs with me while your parents finish up talking to Angel and Wesley, that'd be great.  You can tell me why you're here."

"Okay.  I'll see you later, Dad."

Angel opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself just as Connor added in a goodbye to his mother.  Liberty tried to figure out what was going on with Angel, but just couldn't.  Connor followed Liberty on out the door, thinking that she was pretty young to be some lawyer.  Not that he would mind spending time with her; she was beautiful.

            Liberty made a sweeping motion with her arm, "Voila.  My office!"

Connor grinned at her, feeling considerably better than he had for a few weeks.  That's when they'd discovered his abilities.  "You can sit on the couch.  Or one of the chairs in front of my desk.  Or on my desk. I don't really care.  Just take a seat."

She seemed nervous to him which was fascinating.  She'd seem so sure of herself when she'd been introduced to him by the CEO of Wolfram and Hart.  She was in charge of her very own division and she was nervous around him?

"How old are you, Liberty?"

"17.  I promise I am perfectly capable of taking care of your situation."  

There was the girl he'd seen.  She was back in her comfort zone, maybe.  She was still talking, so Connor tried to focus on her words, not her actions.

"If your not comfortable with me helping you, though, I'm sure Angel can have someone else take it over."

"No.  You're fine, Liberty.  I just wanted to know a little bit about you."

His smile was disarming.  Liberty wasn't used to having boys smile at her the way Connor was.  She'd always been very 'independent' as she liked to call it.  Really, it meant she never had boyfriends and few friends.  She was shy, quiet, rarely let herself get close to people.  She considered it a hazard of her gift, but she may have just been trying to excuse her loneliness.  

"Oh.  How old are you?"

"18.  I started college last fall."

"I can't wait until I can go to college.  I still have a year and a half to go, though."

He nodded as he took a chair in front of her desk.  It was leather, stiff and uncomfortable, but Connor seemed to be adapting just fine.

"Why are you here, Connor?"

His smile vanished as he started to remember the problems he'd been having of late.  Starting college had been amazing.  He had more freedom than he'd ever had and more time to do what he wanted.  He loved it, until he'd started having his nightmares.  Then he'd just felt alone, not free.

"I started having nightmares a while back.  Well, I don't know if they were nightmares, exactly.  They were more like flashes of a past life, not like I've been reincarnated kind of thing, just like me before I graduated.  I don't know.  Some of it has been scary, monsters of all sorts.  Demons, I guess.  And I would see others.  A woman, in particular.  

"Shortly after I started having the dreams, I realized I had heightened senses.  I could hear things that no one else could, not that I'm insane.  I could run surprisingly fast, jump up floors of buildings.  From like the street to a balcony.  I was strong, too.  Super-strong, and I promise this isn't some kind of Superman complex.  I've been wanting to fight, too, and I'm good at it.  Other things, too, there's just so much to tell you.  It's weird.  I came to my parents and I showed them what was happening to me.  Apparently, I wasn't special like that as a child, so I'm just a freak, now.  I've always been so normal, but I'm not now."

"You're not a freak."

Connor raised an eyebrow not really believing what she'd just said.  Of course, he didn't know about her gift and she wasn't ready to tell him about it yet.  But he wasn't a freak, she was.  

"I don't know where these powers or abilities or whatever the hell you want to call them are.  I want to know, I just don't.  That's why we came to Wolfram and Hart.  We'd heard you guys specialized in some 'eccentric' cases."

Liberty giggled.  "If that's what you wanna call 'em.  I'll start researching new mystical energies in the air.  Maybe you got stuck in the crossfire of a spell or something. I'll see-"

"Hey, Love, do you know what's got Peaches' knickers in a twist today?"

Spike appeared in the doorway, smoking a cigarette.  He puffed out another cloud of smoke and Liberty coughed.

"Spike, I hate it when you smoke.  Just because you're lungs can turn black doesn't mean mine can."

Spike promptly put the cigarette out and then propped himself on the doorframe.  
"Didn't know you had clients, pet."

"Yes.  Connor, this is Spike-our-uh-well…" Liberty stopped, feeling a bit perplexed.  She didn't know exactly what Spike was.  He just hung around.  
"Spike, this is Connor Johnson."

The name struck a chord in Spike's memory.  Connor.  He tilted his head, staring at the boy.  The boy shifted uncomfortably, well aware of Spike's unusual scrutiny of him.

"Spike, what are you doing?" 

 Liberty had never seen Spike react in the way he was then.  Angel and Spike had both reacted oddly. She didn't know what Spike was thinking, though.  Connor sounded so familiar, he looked familiar.  His eyes, his entire build looked like-Angelus.  Especially with the shaggy hair.  He looked like a miniature Angelus.  But Angel didn't have a son.  Vampires didn't have children.  Even as he thought that, the entire situation seemed familiar to him.  It was driving Spike crazy, but he decided he'd harass Peaches later.

"Connor just reminds me of someone."  
"Okay.  Well, I'll talk to you later, Spike.  I am with a client."

"Right, love.  Dinner tonight?"

"Can't.  I'm going with Lorne.  How about tomorrow?"

"All right." Spike nodded at the boy again before disappearing from the room.

            Liberty apologized for Spike immediately.  He'd been kind of rude, though that was Spike.  Connor shrugged it off, assuring her it was fine.  He'd been creeped out by Spike's staring at him, but other than that, he was fine.

"It would be helpful if you could write down what you're seeing in your dreams.  If you can write it down for me tonight or tomorrow and bring it by, that would be really helpful.  I might be able to connect the dreams with your sudden burst of powers."

"Okay.  I'll bring it tomorrow."  
"I come in at 3:30.  This is an after school job."

"Nice one, if I do say so.  I worked at Barnes and Noble."

The corners of Liberty's mouth curved as she licked her lips.  Connor couldn't help but stare at her.  She was truly fascinating.  
"I'll come in at four, okay?"

"I'll write you in."

Connor stood up and started to the door.  "Thank you for helping me, Liberty."

"It's my job."  

Her eyes were sparkling and Connor was positive he would be lost in them if he didn't disconnect their gaze.  He didn't want to leave.  He wanted to talk with her more.  He wanted to talk about everything except his problems.  He wanted to know about her life, how she started working with Wolfram and Hart, what she liked to do when she wasn't working and going to school.  But he knew his parents would be ready to leave and he did need to give her time to research his situation.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Connor."

"Okay."  He sounded like a lovesick schoolboy just with that one word. He hardly knew her and he was already acting like a complete idiot.

"Can you find your way back to Angel's office?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."  Connor finally opened the door and walked through it, though he was aware that it took a great amount of willpower.  When the door shut, Liberty sighed.  Connor was hot.  She couldn't stop herself from thinking it, though crushing on a client was a definite no-no.  She'd simply have to force herself to not crush on Connor.  Since she had so much control over it.


	4. Ribbons of Dominoes

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Four_**

**_Ribbons of Dominoes_**

****

            After the Johnson's left his office, Angel had demanded that Harmony hold his calls and then promptly skulked into his penthouse to brood.  His son, his precious little boy had come into Angel's office, not have a clue that he was seeing his father.  To Connor, Angel was a complete stranger who might be able to help him find out the origin of his cursed gifts.  He didn't know that Angel already knew about the gifts and where they came from.  Connor was oblivious to the connection they had shared; no one had seen the connection except Angel.  He wished Cordelia had been there, to help him.  Actually, he wished he'd killed Holtz in the 1700's and been done with it.  Then, Connor would have been a year old and Cordelia and Fred would still be alive.  Cordelia might have never given birth to Jasmine without Connor, therefore never falling into the coma.  Angel wouldn't have made a deal with the Devil and Fred would have never been infected by the ancient demoness Illyria.  Every action has a reaction as Fred had constantly told him and he'd set off a domino effect when he'd murdered Holtz's family.  And when he'd listened to Lilah.  He began to feel anger rising inside of him like molten lava.  They had made a deal and Wolfram and Hart's part of the bargain was falling apart.  Connor wasn't happy and oblivious.  Wolfram and Hart, Lilah to be exact, had tricked him into signing his unlife away to stall him from stopping something.  Newton's law.  Damn that woman, she was haunting him from beyond her graveyard office.

"No need to damn me, Angel, I already am."

The ghostly apparition looked so much like her human self, Angel forgot momentarily that she was dead as a coffin nail.  She wore a scarf tied neatly around her neck and it reminded him of a legend he'd once heard of, a little girl that wore a ribbon around her neck always.  She never took it off, she was always told not to, but one day her friend got curious.  The friend couldn't figure out why the girl never took off the ribbon, so she untied it and the little girl's head had fallen off.  He wondered briefly if he untied the scarf if Lilah's head would tumble to the ground in a bloody mess.

"Lord, your thoughts are bloody.  It won't fall off, I just don't like looking at the incision.  Senior Partners had my head permanently attached again."

"Considerate of them."  
"Well, I'm not much of a negotiator if I have no head, am I?"

Lilah smiled, nearing a condescending smirk.  Angel dropped himself into a defensive stance, not sure what to take of Lilah's sudden arrival.

"I came now because you were going to summon me.   I don't like being summoned, I do things on my own time."  
"Or when the Senior Partners say jump."

"Or then, " she conceded.

"I wish you wouldn't read my thoughts, Lilah."

"Why?  It's almost as good as watching TV.  Not many TV's where I stay now."

"You mean your Hell doesn't provide cable?"

"Nah.  All that's available is Sesame Street and Barney.  'Let's count numbers! Von, Two, Tree…'  Slightly obnoxious if you ask me."

That smile appeared on Lilah's face once more, as if she was thinking of a joke she'd been told long ago.  The smile only further frustrated Angel.  It vanished immediately.  In fact, her entire demeanor changed.

"How is Wesley?"

"Don't you know?"

"I'm not allowed to look in on him.  Senior Partners' rule."

Angel considered not telling her, just to torture her, but changed his mind quickly.

"He's surviving.  Fred died a few weeks ago, so he's fairly heartbroken."

Lilah's features hardened.  "He finally got Twiggy to love him."

It was more of a statement than a question.  If Angel didn't know better, he would have said Lilah was jealous.  She was dead, though, so how could she be?  She cleared her throat and put her business voice on quickly.  "Connor's condition is beyond Wolfram and Hart's control."  
"Nothing is beyond their control.  The deal was he would be happy and wouldn't remember any of his life before."

"And he doesn't."

"He's noticed his strengths, Lilah.  He's unhappy and he's trying to figure it all out. It's only a matter of time before he does find out.  "

"Then lie to him.  Or tell him it was the crossfire of a spell.  In a way, it was.  You and Darla were-"

"I don't want to make some fluffy story up for him.  I want to tell him."

"Then go ahead.  It's of no consequence to me."

"Why?  Because the next apocalypse is already set into motion due to our agreement?"

"You're the head of the LA branch.  You tell me."  
"I think you wanted us in charge for a reason.  I think our bargain is falling apart because what's done is done and nothing will change it, even if we give up our positions now."

"I think you've done some excellent work and I really do enjoy your new addition to Team Angel.  She's a lively little imp, isn't she?"

"You're saying that Libby is a part of this?"

"I was simply congratulating you on your new employee.  Speaking of employees, I'd find Lindsey."  
"What?"  
"Lindsey McDonald.  You know, Okie with shaggy hair and an earring, southern accent, sucked up by certain powers."

"So he can try to kill us again?"

Lilah winked, as if telling him that she was giving him his only clue, even though it went against her orders and that was all she would say.

"Tell Wesley I said hello."

Then she vanished completely.  Angel growled, feeling more confused than before he'd talked to Lilah.  Not that it was completely unusual to feel a little confused after conversing with the conniving lawyer.  Angel had the urge to kill something at the moment, and unfortunately for Spike, he entered the room.

            "Get out of here, Spike.  I'm in no mood…"

"Which is always the best time to visit you."  Spike grinned boyishly as if had hit the jackpot on new ways to torture his older brother.  Angel glared at the peroxide vampire thinking about how quickly the day was going downhill.  First, Connor and this faux family, then Lilah, and now a personal visit from Spike.  Hopefully, he had a real reason for coming, one that didn't torture him

"What do you want, Spike?"  Angel spit out the word with a much vehemence as he always did.  

"I went up to see Libby today and you won't believe who was in there."

Spike paused as if waiting for Angel to play a part in his riddle.  Angel let out an unnecessary sigh.  He didn't particularly feel like playing Spike's game.  He did, all the same.

"Who?"

"Mini-Angelus.  In human form, of course-said his name was Connor Johnson."

"What are you talking about?"  Angel sounded both disenchanted and annoyed.

"The boy looked like Angelus.  Same hair, same eyes, same build.  The boy was a bloody miniature of you.  I'm surprised no one else noticed it.  Could be they never saw you as the Angelus of old as I have."

"Is there a point to this conversation or are you just rambling pointlessly?"

"My point is the boy is the spittin' image of you.  He even acts like you do, with all the brooding and the serious dislike of me.  In fact, he looks like he could be your son."

"Vampires don't have children, you know that.  Besides his parents came with him."

"That means absolutely nothing; adoption, kidnapping, honestly it could be anything."

"It's a routine case, Spike."

"That's got you all up in arms about it."

Angel cursed having Spike around all the time.  He was the only one who'd known him for a hundred years, almost.  As much as he hated to admit it, Spike knew him better than anybody else.  He understood the guilt, the bloodlust, the pain.  Spike took Angel's silence as a submission that the case was different.  He waited for Angel o continue, but he didn't.

"I heard rumors in the halls, Peaches, that a few years back Darla was resurrected and 

you two were back to your old tricks."

Angel didn't protest.

"I think something must have happened, then.  I know it's impossible for a vampire to have a child.  But say it did.  Say you and Darla had  child, maybe that's why she staked herself.  The baby's probably gonna be screwed up 'cos his parents were vampires and his nanny was a green, horned demon.  Am I getting' warm?"

Angel stalked to the window and pushed back the brocade curtains.  The sun had set already and the moon was streaming in through the treated glass.

"And you've come up with this all on your brilliant powers of deduction?"

"Mostly.  And I stole a Wolfram and Hart file from the records room labeled Connor: Son of Angel.  Really, you make a deal, make sure the hard evidence is destroyed."

Angel whirled and Spike started to chuckle.

"Yeah.  Did you really think I came up with all of that on my own?  It's ridiculous, a little far-fetched, and I can't say that I would even come up with it on my own."

He smiled charmingly at his grandsire, waiting for the rest of Angel's side of the story.  He understood why Angel had taken over Wolfram and Hart now.  He'd given everything up for Connor and Spike understood love that made everything painful and all else unnecessary as long as the object of affection had everything they needed including happiness.  Spike had felt that for Drusilla and again for Buffy.  He had been absolutely dedicated to them and would have done anything for them.  Angel had applied that same obsessive love, blinding love to Connor, even signing a binding contract with Evil, Inc to secure Connor's utter happiness.  That sudden show of feeling made Spike almost admire Angel.  Almost.  But he had an understanding of Angel now, even more so than he had before.

"I want to tell Connor the truth, but I don't think it would help.  It would just shoot him into a universe that is full of confusion and resentment, which is what I was trying to save him from to start with."

Spike nodded sagely, unsure of how to react with Angel confiding in him.  

"I know I can't say anything.  You have no idea how hard it is to see my son wiped from everyone's memory to see me wiped from Connor's memory.  I'm the only who remembers, the only one who even realizes what we lost.  I still remember Wesley's betrayal and I remember how dark he became.  I remember my three months at the bottom of the ocean by my own son's hand and no one else does.  It's impossibly hard to see no recognition in his eyes-when he sat in my office telling me about  his extraordinary gifts-"

He broke off and closed his eyes.  At the break, he began to realize that he was talking about how he felt…to Spike.

"So you know now.  What are you going to do about it?"

"You mean am I going to blab it to everyone?  Like the wankers would believe me.  Besides, I feel bad for the kid.  Having you for a dad, that'd scar me for the rest of my bloody life or unlife.  Look what it did to Dru."

Spike adjusted his duster and turned away.  

"I guess I'll help you protect the secret.  It'll be just like ol' times, won't it?"

"Without the murder and mayhem."

"Well, maybe the mayhem."

Spike left Angel to his brooding, already planning to keep Liberty away from Connor's true origins.  He did feel a mite guilty about lying to the sweet girl, but he knew why they were protecting Connor.

            Wesley slammed the door, feeling a bit stressed. Angel had been acting out of sorts with the Johnson case.  He had been out of sorts with the Johnson case, though he hadn't been the same since Fred had died.  He'd been searching for any information and he'd seen absolutely no mystical insurgences lately.  To translate that, it meant he was finding absolutely nothing that would show the cause of Connor's power which only further irritated him.  He dropped his keys on the front table and entered the living room to find Fred-Illyria waiting for him on the couch.

"Wesley."  
"Hello, Illyria."  Their conversations were usually typical.  Illyria was still trying to understand emotion and the new world that had evolved since she'd been resting peacefully in her coffin.

"You are angry."

"I suppose I am.  It's a new case, nothing that would interest you."

"But it would interest Winifred."

Wesley felt the usual wave of pain crash over him when Fred was mentioned.

"Yes, it would likely.  Fred liked to tackle mysteries."  
"It is the human way?  Trying to solve problems that is not theirs?"

"Yes.  Call it an error in our genetic make up."

"I call most things an error in your genetic make up."

Wesley smiled, taking it as a joke than an actual statement.  

"You may tell me your problem, Wesley.  If I am to integrate into human society, I should act like one of the lower beings."

"You would be bored, Illyria.  It's just a case I have at work."

Illyria nodded and scooted a bit closer to Wesley.  "I am sorry it pains you to have me here." 

Moments like these, he could see Fred's personality shining through Illyria.  Fred always cared about people's feelings, even more so than she cared about her own.  At times, it was odd to see Illyria as Fred.  He knew they were completely different, but he would hope.  He supposed that was why he agreed to help her integrate her into society.  He wanted to mold Illyria into a replacement Fred.  When she spoke like she did, he had that hope.

"Sometimes it's nice to have you here."

Illyria smiled a smile that was almost Fred's, yet still her very own.  He liked it.  


	5. Heartbroken

A.N. Tariq, I'd gladly read Consequences, but I can't seem to find it on ff.net.  If you could send me a link, I'd go read and review it:P

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Five_**

**_Heartbroken_**

            Liberty had immersed herself in various ancient texts, looking for anything that would clue her in on Connor Johnson's new abilities.  She couldn't find anything that had powers that matched Connor's, except vampires.  That wouldn't work since Connor was, well, alive.  Liberty tossed another book on top of the text.  She allowed her thoughts to wander from Connor's gifts to Connor himself.  She hadn't been able to stop thinking about him.  He was so warm and funny and interesting.  Even though she'd met him through Wolfram and Hart, she wasn't worried about his character.  It wasn't like he was hiring a lawyer to get him out of a felony charges.  She smiled as she recalled the warmth in his eyes when he'd met her and then the depth of fear he'd displayed when he talked about the new abilities he was experiencing.  She understood that fear; she'd felt it when she was little.  She'd been so confused when she'd looked into the eyes of a demon worshipper that her mother had introduced as a co-worker.  She could commiserate with Connor's situation if she could only tell Connor about her gift.  She still didn't trust him enough to tell him, though he'd done nothing to warrant her mistrust.  It had been ingrained in her brain to never tell anyone about the gift.  People wouldn't understand; she'd been told that for close to fifteen years.  She'd been raised to both embrace and fear her gift, as contradictory as that statement seemed.

"Liberty?  Are you all right?"

She focused her gaze and found Connor kneeling in front of her, having pushed aside a pile of leather-bound books.  He looked worried, which led her to believe he'd been sitting there for a while.

"Sorry.  I didn't hear you come in."

"You looked like you were deep in thought."

"I was just remembering something from when I was little."

"Obviously not a happy memory."

Liberty shrugged, but forced a smile to soothe Connor's worries.  

"Did I know you were coming by today?"

He waved a folder in front of her face.  "You told me to come with a written paragraph about my nightmares or memories.  Remember? I did my homework."

"Yeah…gold star for you.  Listen, I've been sort of absorbed in things since you left.  I was here until one last night and I came here directly after school to start up my research again."

Connor shifted his position so he could stretch out, then lifted up the top book.

"Ancient Gods, Rituals, and Demons.  Interesting reading.  Are you finding anything?"

"Only that you have the same power as vampires.  Which doesn't help at all since you can go out in the sun and don't drink blood of any variety."

Connor laughed lightly, "And I have no fangs.  At least I didn't think I did."

Connor's hand flew to his mouth as if to check his teeth.  His eyes were glittering with mischief and amusement.  Liberty couldn't stop herself from giggling.  Connor made her feel so comfortable.  She rarely felt natural with boys.  Or anyone for that matter.

"That's awful, Connor."

"You laughed, didn't you?"

"Only out of surprise at your stupidity."  They laughed again.

"Is that your paper that you so elegantly waved in front of my face?"

"Yeah."  
He handed it to her with something of an apology, "That's all I could remember.  I doubt it will help you find anything, but maybe I'm just not seeing something."  
"I like to have as much information as I can get.  It might help me figure things out."

"I can only hope."

The two teenagers fell quiet, unusually so.  The silence was awkward; tension high in the air between them.  Connor took a deep breath before muttering, "Youwannatakeabreakandgrabsomethingtoeatwithme?"

It came out like one long, run-on word.  Liberty blushed prettily and lowered her head.  She indicated the books that surrounded her.

"I still have a lot of work to do.  I don't think I can."

Connor stood up quickly, looking very much like the shy teenage boy who had been rejected.

"Right.  You've got work to do."  

He fled the room and Liberty did feel guilty.  It wasn't that she didn't want to go with him.  It was more of her unnatural fear of having to get close to Connor.  He would be in and out of her life in no time.  When she solved his mystery, he would go back to his normal life at his normal college with his normal friends.  She wouldn't fit in anywhere there.  She wasn't normal.

            Connor had sprinted out of the office, but not before knocking into Mr. Angel.  Connor didn't care.  All he wanted to do was get out of the oppressive office.  He was completely humiliated.  He had been feeling weird since he'd noticed his powers.  He'd been lacking a good night's sleep since he'd started having the nightmares and he had a sinking fear that he would never fit in with his normal life again.  He was aware of an entirely different side to the City of Angels and while everyone else remained ignorant, he was forced to deal with it.  He'd finally thought he'd found someone to be comfortable with, someone who wouldn't be freaked out by his abilities.  He'd thought she'd been interested in him, but he'd very obviously been wrong.  She apparently just saw him as another assignment, another case to help earn her paycheck.  Connor finally stopped running, unsure of where he was.  He was in front of a building that seemed familiar, yet not.  A window was cracked on the top level so he jumped up to the ledge.  He climbed through the window and sniffed.  The scent seemed so familiar as freaky as that seemed.  A bed was centered in the room, sheets twisted all around.  The room was shabby, but he could see that someone had lived there.  If only he could remember who it was.  Or if he even knew the person.

            Angel knocked on Liberty's open door.  She was surrounded by her books, but she wasn't reading.  In fact, she seemed completely zoned out.  Her face had a heartbroken look to it, something that he'd seen on Connor's face when he'd sped out of the office building.  Angel approached cautiously, waiting for Liberty to acknowledge him.

"Angel?  Hey."

"Libby.  I, uh, saw Connor on his way out.  Is everything okay?"

"Mhm."

Liberty hummed as she stood up and headed to her desk chair, climbing over small mountains that she had built.  Angel slid into the chair facing her desk.

"That sounded terribly convincing."

Liberty let a small smile form before settling into her leather desk chair.

"I'm just frustrated. I'm not finding much out about Connor's case."

"Is that why Connor was upset?"  Angel asked, pretending very much to simply be a concerned CEO.  Little did she know that he wanted to know what was bothering his son.

"Not hardly.  I completely turned him down.  He asked me to go out to dinner and I said no."

A piece of black hair flopped into her eyes.  She blew it away.  She looked completely dejected and Angel wasn't sure how to react.  He didn't have much experience in dealing with teenage crisis unless monsters, blood, violence, and gore was involved.  

"You look like you wished you hadn't said no."

"It doesn't matter what I wanted. Listen, Angel, I'm busy.  I'll let you know if I find out anything new."

Angel allowed her to dismiss him.  He'd found out what he'd come for anyway.

"Just talk to me if you need to, Libby."

"I will."  She leaned over her desk, opening a thin folder and began chewing unconsciously on a pen.  Angel watched her for a moment before leaving her.  Poor girl.  He felt slightly guilty for lying to her.  He didn't want to.  He just didn't have a choice.


	6. Reconnaissance

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Six_**

**_Reconnaissance_**

            Liberty settled herself into her black leather couch in her office.  The sun had set, so she'd had to turn on a lamp to illuminate the room enough for her to read.  She was exhausted, mentally and emotionally.  She'd been working on the case for so long.  Okay, actually two days, but on top of high school and her other responsibilities it was hard.  She was feeling completely drained.  She still had so much to do, too.  She needed to read what Connor had written about his nightmare.  She opened the folder again, scanning the page.  Connor's writing was slanted and precise, she could almost see his confidence and desperation in what he was writing.

I'm in a dark room; it almost looks like a lobby to a hotel or something.  I'm standing there with this kind of weapon thing.  If bow and arrows were still used, I would say that's what it is.  Behind me there's a huge swirl of lightning and clouds.  It almost looks like a circle of storms.  The wind's blowing, except I'm inside, so I don't know how it's blowing.  And I hold up my weapon.

Then I'm outside in some kind of alleyway.  There's a woman with me.  She has chin length brown hair and she's dressed comfortably.  She has a wood spike in her hand and she's fighting a monster, a vampire.  She shoves the wood into his chest and he turns to dust.  She turns, smiling and says, "I did it!"  She hugs me…

Then I'm back in that lobby.  I'm holding a knife over the woman I described above.  She's holding the knife away from her and suddenly we're both glowing.  After that, I wake up.

Liberty sighed.  The woman reinforced her thoughts that these were memories.  She was reoccurring.  She seemed to fit into the puzzle, instead of being in each scene completely randomly.  The swirl seemed to be some sort of vortex or a portal.  Perhaps Connor was from another dimension.  No, he had two parents that remember him being born.  If they were from another world, they wouldn't have bothered bringing Connor in about his powers.  They would have known where they came from.  In fact, his parents seemed a little freaked out by Connor's abilities.  They're normal son was no longer normal.  Liberty grunted, as unbecoming as it was.  She wanted to stop thinking of the prejudices people faced for having any kind of mystical powers. Actually, even more than solving the world's problems of prejudice, she wanted to go home.

Spike stood outside the door, listening to Liberty rummaging around in her office.  She sounded like she was getting ready to leave.  Spike debated whether or not to enter the office.  If he went in there, he would have to lie to Liberty.  He didn't want to lie to Liberty.  She was so sweet and earnest, he felt absolutely miserable for betraying the little pint.  He'd grown sort of attached to her in the short amount of time she'd been working there.  She didn't treat him badly or like he was completely useless. They were sort of friends, actually.  Spike didn't have many friends, not that he needed them.  Spike took in an unnecessary breath and decided that he wouldn't bother Liberty.  Unfortunately, Liberty came barreling out the door, crashing into Spike, sending her armful of books tumbling down as she sprawled out on the floor.

"Ah!"

"Sorry, pet.  Didn't mean to send you flying."

"It's okay, Spike.  You didn't mean to."  She looked around at the desolate hall she'd fallen in as she took Spike's offered hand. "Were you on your way to see me or something?"

Spike glanced away from her while she straightened her outfit.  He could remember the days when he lied without a twinge of conscience.  No longer.

"No, I actually was on my way to-"

Apparently, he was a bad liar now too.

"Spike, you do realize that you're an awful liar, don't you?"

"Side effect of my soul, pet."

Liberty sent him a sparkling smile that proved she didn't mind his attempt at lying.  Of course, she wanted to know why he felt the need to lie, but she didn't ask.

"I like your soul."

Spike looked away, uncomfortable with her compliment.  He was used to hearing, 'Spike, get out, you can't help with this.'  Spike bent down and picked up the fallen books.

"_Portals, Vortexes, and Mystical Convergences_.  Some light reading before you go to bed?"

"It's for the Johnson case.  I'm getting really frustrated.  I've been working so hard and I'm finding nothing."

"So you decided to read on portals because…"

"Connor told me about his memories he's reliving in his dreams.  He mentions a portal behind him, so I thought I would read about it to see if I could find the specific portal he mentioned."

Spike wanted to ask her more about the memories, but he didn't want to raise her suspicions.  He didn't pry.  They weren't at the point of needing to push Liberty into telling them what she'd found out.  He'd just wait.

"You want me to walk you out, pet?"

"No.  I'll be fine.  See you tomorrow, Spike."  She took the retrieved books under her arms and walked away.

"Tomorrow."  

Spike watched her leave, dejectedly, her shoulders slumped and her steps slow.  Spike pushed his conscience away as he walked in the opposite direction.

            Wesley had decided to take Illyria into the office with him.  He wasn't sure what had possessed him to do so.  She had felt suffocated inside and Wolfram and Hart was more spacious than his flat.  He couldn't exactly take Illyria to the local park, even at night.  She was a little too blue for human taste.  She didn't seem too excited at the prospect of leaving the apartment, but Illyria rarely showed emotion anyway.  Wesley tried to slip her in without talking to anyone, but Angel was on his way out.  Wesley shoved Illyria into an empty room without a word.  She began to sputter, but Angel's voice stopped her.

"Wes.  Glad to see you at work, but it is kinda late.  I thought you'd left for the night."

"I don't sleep much anymore.  Not since…"

He almost said since Illyria came, but Angel decided he must mean since Fred had died.  There wasn't much of a difference between the two answers.

"I've gotta get out of here.  There's a vampire clan, a whole family that has been terrorizing families out at night.  I'll see you in the morning."  

Angel hurried on out to the garage, leaving Wesley behind with a sigh of relief.  He pulled Illyria from the room, who seemed completely outraged at her current treatment.

"How dare you hide me away as if I am something to be ashamed of.  I am a goddess.  You will treat me as such."

"You aren't a goddess anymore, Illyria.  Stop complaining so much or I'll leave you to fend for yourself in this world."

"You wouldn't do that to me.  I look to much like Winifred."

"Even I have my limits."

His tone was severe, but he knew Illyria did not believe his words.  Honestly, he didn't even believe his words.  Illyria could play him very easily.  She had mannerisms that were Fred, tones that were her's.  And in a way, he liked the demon goddess as well.  She had her own odd way of stating things and he enjoyed it.  Plus, the blunt truth that Illyria provided him with made him feel refreshed.  Illyria didn't tiptoe around the truth like humans did, and he appreciated that.  He'd become as attached to Illyria the demon goddess as he had with Fred, human and shell.  

"We'll go to my office.  You'll have to stay out of sight.  The reason I hid you in the first place is that Angel would kill you in a second if he knew you were here."

"You were doing that saving thing."

"Saving thing?"

"The human's need to keep things that are out of their control safe.  Things and people that are not themselves."

"I suppose."

"Or do you save me because I am Winifred?"

"I save you, Illyria, because you don't deserve to die, not yet.  You've lost much, as have I."

"So we commiserate together?"

"Something of that sort."

Wesley opened his office door and led Illyria in.  He locked the door behind him.  Illyria heard the latch, but did not comment.  She examined his office closely.  She had grown bored at the apartment.  It was terribly boring there.  Why humans wished to confine themselves in small spaces was beyond her.  Why humans were around at all was beyond her.


	7. Sketch

**_Gift _**

**_Chapter Seven_**

**_Sketch_**

            Liberty picked up her phone, hoping that it wasn't too late to call Connor.  She should be going to bed since she had school the next day.  But she had reread his description of the woman and she seemed vaguely familiar to her.  So she decided that if Connor drew her a picture of the mysterious woman from his dreams she might be able to find her.  

"Hello?"

"Connor?  It's Liberty."

He was silent and for a second, Liberty thought he'd hung up on her.  She could hear his breathing, the only sign he hadn't.

"Connor…"

"What do you want?"

All the warmth from his voice had disappeared.  He was still mad about her turning him down for dinner.  She felt so guilty, but she hadn't thought that Connor had really cared about her that much.  She figured he'd shrug it off and then run back to his normal friends to hang out.  Sure, the refusal would smart for a few days, but he'd find someone else.  At least that was what she assumed.  The depth of Connor's anger surprised her.  Did he really care for her?  

"Connor, I'm sorry I'm calling so late, but I have a little favor to ask."

"Of course you do."

"How good are you at drawing?"

"I'm fine.  Why?"

"Do you think you'd be able to draw the woman from your nightmares?"

"I guess I could try.  Why?  Will that help us find out what's going on?"  
"That's my hope.  She seems so familiar to me but I can't figure out why.  So I thought a picture might help me place her.  Your descriptions are great, but a picture might be better."  
"All right.  I'll bring it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you."

They fell quiet, neither ready to hang up the phone.  Liberty wanted to say more to him, explain the situation to him.  She wanted to confess her abilities to him, tell him how she'd almost been shamed into hiding them.  Still, a part of her didn't know how to trust him, or even tell him about her abilities.  

"I'm-"

"I'll see you later."

Connor hung up before she had a chance to apologize about the incident.  He didn't want to hear her phony I'm-sorrys and elaborate explanations for saying no.  He was a freak.  She didn't want a freak.  There was nothing more to it.  

            Liberty sat in her English class, her nose stuffed in a book as usual.  The only difference was this book was about mystical portals and convergences.  The usual kids around her watched her curiously, wondering if she would ever even notice their stares at her.  Liberty was weird.  Everyone knew it.  Even the teachers could see her oddness.  She wasn't an outcast, exactly, but she was far from popular.  She didn't really notice.  She never really had, but especially since she had started working for Wolfram and Hart.

"Whatcha readin', Libby?"  The girl who sat next to her asked mockingly.

"The Truths of Mystical Portals and Abnormal Convergences."

She said it calmly and with a no nonsense attitude, which made the students laugh.  She acted like it was the most normal thing in the world to be reading up on portals.  

"Why are you reading that?"

The girl said it as though the concept of pleasure reading was out of the question, but combined with the topic, it couldn't be assigned reading.

"Actually, I'm researching some stuff for work."

"Where do you work that has you reading about portals?"

"Wolfram and Hart.  It's a-"

"Law office.  Yeah, I've heard of it.  I'm not stupid.  What are you there?  A secretary?"

Liberty shook her head as she lowered her eyes back to the book.  She didn't want to see their face when she told them her position.  In fact, she didn't really want to tell them at all.  She could lie and say she was a secretary.  No.  She refused to let them turn her into a liar or make her ashamed for what her job was.  They were just some dumb kids at school.  She didn't need them.  She had other friends.  Spike.  Wesley.  Angel.

"No.  I'm the head of the teen research division."

"The head is someone who is in charge.  You're trying to tell me you're in charge of a branch at an international law firm?"

"Yes."

"Libby, if you're going to lie about where you work, you might as well come up with a believable lie."

"I'm not lying.  Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, the head of the research branch, put me in charge of it.  This reading is for a case."

She could tell they still didn't believe her.  She sighed.  She wouldn't try to convince them anymore.  She didn't have the energy. Libby closed her eyes, cursing her gift again.  If she'd been normal, she wouldn't even be having this conversation.  She sunk down in her chair, trying not to let their words get to her.  She didn't need to impress them.  She didn't really want to.  It just got lonely at school, since she'd never had any real friends there and she was tired of pretending.  She didn't have a choice, though.  She pulled the book up over her eyes as she tried her best to ignore the snickers surrounding her.  She had a job to do.  The sooner she found out, the sooner Connor would be gone.  She wouldn't end up being any more attached to him then she already was.  And after he disappeared from her life, he would fade from her memory or so she hoped.  That was what she wanted.  Right?  Liberty sighed again as she examined the chart in front of her.  She was getting to very recent abnormal convergences in the universe.  One particular occurrence was worrying her.  It was a year ago in May.  And it happened in Los Angeles.

            Connor clutched the portrait of the mysterious woman from his memory.  He'd been working on the sketch since Liberty had called last night.  He was consumed with the need to draw each and every characteristic of the woman perfectly.  He hadn't slept at all.  He'd sat at his desk all night, drawing diligently, disturbing his roommate.  He had taken it to class the next day to define her features.  He'd become so absorbed in his work that he didn't even hear a word of the lecture.  It had been fairly useless for him to even attend the class.  He finally completed the sketch to his satisfaction and he was on his way to drop it off to Liberty.  Well, hopefully she wouldn't be there.  High school should still have two more hours left in the day.  Connor wanted desperately to avoid her.  He was afraid he would see that day-after pity in her eyes and that was the last thing he wanted.  He didn't want to see her sympathy; he didn't want it.  He refused to let her own refusal make him uncomfortable.  He wouldn't allow himself to continue to like her, but in order to stop his feelings; he needed to have as little contact with her as possible.  Connor opened the door to Liberty's office, ready to drop the portrait off and flee.  Unfortunately, she was there sitting at her desk.

"Libby?!  Uh-shouldn't you be at school?"

And to his surprise, she jumped from her chair and threw her arms around him.

            Connor couldn't stop himself from returning her embrace.  So much for stopping those feelings.  Her smiled was brilliant and the excitement danced in her eyes.  She looked stunning.  

"Yeah, I should be.  But I was doing some reading and I found something, so I had Wesley call me out of school and here I am."

Connor forgot everything that had happened the day before at the mention of her finding something.

"You found something?"

"Yes!"  She started to laugh, a melodic sound that rang through his ears.

"What is it?"

She produced a large, leather-bound book.  Connor scanned the title while he listened to her explanation.

"There was abnormal activity in Los Angeles on May 2nd.  The convergence happened from a hotel to a sporting goods store before it spread over the entire city."

"I didn't notice my abilities until a few months ago.  It definitely wasn't May."

"Exactly.   You didn't notice them.  The powers still may have been inside of you, lying dormant."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you could have had the powers and the mystical insurgence activated  your powers. It may have taken a few months to take affect, but it could have sort of jump-started your powers.  Like car cables."

Connor tilted his head, trying to process what Liberty was saying.  The explanation seemed to make sense, though it did seem a bit far-fetched.  In reality, the entire situation was far-fetched.  

"So you think this convergence is the cause of my powers?"

"Yes.  But that doesn't answer all of our questions.  We need to know how you got powers in the first place.  Even if they were lying dormant, they had to come from somewhere."

Connor nodded, the reasoning Liberty was coming up with seemed completely indisputable.  Liberty was good at the reasoning out problems.  He enjoyed watching her mind work.

"Well, at least we're getting closer."

"Yeah.  I'm going to go tell Wesley what I've been finding out."

"Okay.  Thank you for trying to figure this out.  It's not your problem."  
"I know what it's like to be different, Connor."

"You do?"

Liberty blanched; surprised that she'd let it slip out so easily.  She'd protected her secret for years.  And she'd just blurted out that she was 'special' too.  "I've gotta go up there.  Wesley is waiting for me.  I think Spike is too."

Connor realized that the topic was closed for discussion.  Apparently, she didn't want him to know.  Maybe she didn't trust him enough.  Maybe he freaked her out too much for her to confide in him.    

"Do you want that picture you asked for?"  
"Oh, yeah!  I completely forgot about it!  Thanks for reminding me."

She took the picture from him, glancing over it.

"She seems familiar.  Hmm…you know this is a really great sketch, Connor.  Do you take art classes or something?"

"No.  I-I don't really know how I learned to draw.  I just can."

She smiled.  "I wish I could have something like that.  If I could just have something that I can do without any training.  Anyway, I'll see you later."

She hurried away from Connor before he brought up the topic of her being different again.  Connor watched her leave and didn't go after her.  Maybe he'd have that space now.

            Wesley sat at his desk, studying yet another ancient text.  The days got fairly tedious, to research every single day.  Illyria proved to be entertaining enough, with her naivety in human ways, and insistence on being worshipped as the goddess she once was.  And he even forgot about Fred for a few moments when Illyria was with him.  He was starting to feel for the spoiled demon goddess, perhaps because of the comfort she provided him with.  She was Fred in so many ways, yet completely different.  She was fascinating.

"What is that pounding noise on the wood?"

Wesley glanced up as soon as he heard her icy voice.  He'd been lost in his reading and his thoughts, so he hadn't even heard anyone knock.

"Someone is knocking for entry."  
"Why do they knock?"

"It's the polite thing to do.  You can't just barge in on someone when their door is closed."

Illyria tilted her head, her blue eyes glittering oddly in the sunlight.  Wesley had gotten up and started walking to the door.

"You must hide, Illyria.  No one knows you are here.  The others think that you have left Los Angeles."  
"I will not cower like a dog.  If they do not want me here, I will kill them.  This shell may not be incredibly powerful, but I am still stronger than humans and half-breeds."

Wesley sighed loudly, his exasperation showing through.  If it had been anyone but Illyria, they would have cared that they had frustrated Wesley that much.  Illyria simply found the sigh annoying.  The door opened before Wesley could force Illyria to hide, so he turned, preparing himself to feel the wrath of Angel or Gunn.  Instead, Liberty bounced in the door, holding a sketch and a book.  

"Oh.  Do you have a client, Wesley?  I just wanted to talk to you about this convergence stuff I found.  It doesn't have anything to do with Connor's dreams, but I think it may help us figure out how his powers got started."

"Why is she addressing you after she asked if you had a client?"

Wesley could feel the frustration mounting up.

"It's all right, Liberty.  Come on in and sit down while I take care of her."

Liberty watched the blue-haired woman carefully.  She seemed really odd.  Their gazes locked and Liberty felt confusion, despair and annoyance full force.  The girl was a demon, but she had human qualities also.

"Why does this woman believe she has a right to look at me, " Illyria questioned.

"She is trying to figure out if you are a demon or not."

Wesley smiled a bit at Liberty, trying to put her at ease.  

"She must ask permission to look at me."

"Illyria, honestly-"

"This is Illyria?"  Liberty had heard rumblings about a Winifred Burkle being taken over by a recently missing Illyria, a demon goddess from the past.  Her death was still water cooler gossip at Wolfram and Hart, since half of management had locked themselves in their respective offices and refused to come out most of the time since her death.  Liberty had assumed Winifred was the reason everyone was so heartbroken since she'd met Wesley and company.  She'd never asked, though, fearing the answer.

"You know of her?"

"I've heard rumors."

"Yes.  This is she.  Libby, no one knows she's here.  No one realizes that Illyria has been staying with me since her arrival almost.  Illyria is trying to adapt in the ways of humans and I haven't felt the need to tell Angel.  He'd want Illyria destroyed."

"And you don't want that?"  
"No.  Illyria-"

"Do not speak of me as if I were not in this small space.  I am well aware that you are discussing me."

"Illyria, please leave for a bit.  I need to discuss some work with Liberty.  It will be dreadfully boring and quite beneath you.  You could go into the room next door and examine some of my ancient weaponry.  I'm sure you would enjoy that.'

"I suppose I can.  I do not want to listen to the trifles of humans."

Illyria left immediately, not even saying good-bye to either human.

            "Sorry about that, Libby.  Illyria is still adapting."  Wesley apologized as he returned his attention to the girl sitting on his desk.

"She doesn't seem like she's adapting at all, Wesley."

He shrugged nonchalantly as he returned to the other side of the desk.  He took his chair and accepted the book Liberty offered him.

"Do you see the convergence that occurred on May 2nd?  It happened at one Hyperion Hotel and on to a sporting goods store.  I think that could have activated his powers if he was in the near vicinity of those places."

Wesley paled considerably.  He studied the book, leaving no room for Liberty to question his sudden paleness.  Liberty glanced at the photos on his desk, while waiting for him to finish reading about the convergence.  There was one of that blue haired girl, without the blue hair.  Wesley had his arms around her and they were both grinning.  She was pretty.  She must be Winifred.  The picture next to that one was of Angel, Wesley and another girl.  She had long brown hair in that picture, but the face seemed familiar.  Liberty picked the frame up off the table and studied the picture more closely.  Who was this girl?  Why did Liberty recognize her?  

"I don't believe this!"  Liberty exclaimed as the realization hit her.  

"Believe what?"  Wesley put the book down to see what she was so excited about.  Liberty brandished a sketch and placed it next to the photograph.

"It's her!  This is the woman from Connor's memories!"

"Cordelia?"


	8. Mistrust

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Eight_**

**_Mistrust_**

            "Cordelia?"  Wesley's voice conveyed his shock.  He snatched the picture from Liberty's grip and studied it intensely. 

"How long have you had this?"  Wesley seemed distress now.  Surprised to worried in .5 seconds.  Only Wesley.  
"Connor just brought it by.  This is Cordelia?  Like Vision Girl Cordelia?"

Liberty had heard about Cordelia in the halls as well.  Wolfram and Hart corridors were regular gossip mills.  Angel had been in love with Cordelia, but he had never acted on his feelings.  Cordelia was from Sunnydale and had known Angel from there.  She ended up working at Angel Investigations when she moved to Los Angeles where she inherited her visions from a Brachen demon named Doyle.  That was all she'd heard about Cordelia.

 "Yes.  She died a few months ago after being in a coma.  How does Connor know her?"  
"I don't know.  I just asked him to draw me a picture of the woman he described to me.  I never thought it would be Cordelia Chase."

"Does that mean that Cordelia knows Connor?  It must.  Everything is connecting, yet I'm still so lost.  The mystical insurgence occurred at the Hyperion Hotel and a sporting goods store.  Angel Investigations used to have its offices there.  What if Cordelia and Connor were in the same place at the time of the insurgence?  What if that affected Cordelia in her coma?"

"You think that's possible?  That Cordelia and Connor have some sort of connection with each other because they were together at the time of the convergence.  But how did Connor happen to be at the hotel?  Why would he be there?"

"Maybe he was at the sporting goods store, Libby."  
"Yeah, and Cordelia was shopping for a bat and glove to play baseball while she was in her coma."

Wesley nodded, knowing that was true.  Cordelia wouldn't have gone to a sporting goods store even when she'd been alive and awake.  Unless someone carried her to the store, she would have remained at the Hyperion. 

"What worries me so much, Liberty, is the date of the convergence.  Angel and the rest of us signed our contracts with Wolfram and Hart that day.  We took this firm over on May 2nd.  What if we were the cause of the convergence?"

"Wesley, you don't know Connor.  None of you did, not before he came into the offices.  How could you all have anything to do with the activation of Connor's powers?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, we're not aware of all of the Senior Partners' plans.  The unfortunate result of our agreement with the firm.  It's what killed Fred."  Wesley paused, his voice wistful.

"It could suit them to have Connor's powers activated.  He could be used in another apocalypse or another unknown reason.  It's not like they keep us informed of their nefarious objections." Wesley continued.

Liberty let the information digest.  Connor could be used for evil purposes.  He could be an innocent victim of fate.  She sighed, realizing how dramatic she sounded, but it was true.  Connor had no idea of his destiny, either.  They'd discovered so much about his powers yet they were stuck now.  More questions had popped up since they'd discovered this information. 

"What are we going to do about this, Wesley?"

Wesley considered what he'd just learned.  He should take this to Angel, but he didn't quite trust Angel at the moment.  It was Angel who had made the final decision to take the jobs at Wolfram and Hart.  The rest of the team had wanted the jobs, but they weren't ready to make a deal with the devil.  Angel was.  There must have been a reason for it.  There must have been a reason for all of this.  Wesley locked gazes with Liberty.

"We shouldn't tell anyone.  Not yet."

"Not Angel?  Shouldn't he know about this?"

"No.  I don't think so.  I'm not sure if we can trust him."

"Angel?  We can't trust Angel?"  Liberty's tone was incredulous.  She trusted few people with her secret and her life and Angel was one of them.

"He was the one who made the decision to come to Wolfram and Hart.  He may play a part in the Senior Partners' plans.  Let's keep this between you and me for a while."

"I already told Connor about the convergence."

"That's quite all right, Libby.  He may be able to help us learn more about his connection with Cordelia.  I meant we shouldn't tell anyone at the firm.  Not until we have a better understanding of what happened."

Liberty nodded, knowing that she had to agree with Wesley.  She trusted Angel with her life, but she had trusted Wesley with her gift when she hadn't even known him.  As horrible as it sounded, she probably trusted Wesley more than she trusted Angel. 

"All right.  I'm going to go tell Connor to let him know what's going on."

"Okay."  
"What should I tell him about Angel?"

"Be creative."

Liberty stood from the desk and walked on to the door.

"Thanks for listening to me, Wesley."

"You're incredibly good at this, Liberty."

She smiled brightly, not thinking about the trouble she was having in withholding information from Angel.  Wesley returned the smile half-heartedly before sinking back down into his leather chair to stare intensely at the sketch of Cordelia.

            Spike let out an unnecessary breath as he barged into Angel's office. 

"We've got problems, Peaches."

Angel looked up from the papers cluttering on his desk to see what Spike was babbling about.

"What is it, Spike?"

Spike settled himself in a chair, propping his legs up so he could recline.

"I was just outside Wesley's office where he and Liberty were having a powwow.  They're onto the brainwash thingy.  Well, sort of.  They've connected Connor to Cordelia and a mystical convergence on May 2nd when you all took over Evil, Inc.  They're not going to be bangin' down your doors with this exciting information, either, because Wesley doesn't trust you anymore."

Angel's eyes widened as he leaned forward.  
"How did they connect Connor and Cordelia?"

"Drawing of the woman of his dreams.  And I don't even want to know how they're connected."

Angel glared at Spike who put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Don't shoot the messenger here.  I'm just keeping my eyes out and reporting it back to you."

"I don't need your added commentary."

Spike snorted.  "It'd be so boring without it."

The two vampires stared at each other before Angel returned to his work.

            Illyria entered the office an hour after Liberty had left.  She'd grown bored with the weaponry since she couldn't use it to kill or torture anybody.  Wesley told her she wasn't allowed to kill the insignificant creatures.  So she was back in Wesley's office.  He was staring into space, with the same pensive stare that he used when he was brooding about her shell.  Hopefully that wasn't what was bothering him.  She grew irritated when he pouted over the loss of the woman.  She stepped forward, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, but he did not.  She also grew irritated when he ignored her.  It was usually when he pouted and drank that vile amber liquid.  She finally reached him and waved a careless hand in front of his face.

"You will acknowledge me."

"Illyria, I don't have time for you right now."

She stepped back, offended.  He should always have time for her.  She was a superior being.

"You will always have time for me.  I am a goddess and you are a lower being."  
"I am a lower being with things to do."

"Like sit in your chair to stare at something that does not exist on the white walls while mourning the loss of the shell?"

Wesley's eyes flashed a stormy blue.  He was attached to Illyria, yes, but he hated it when she brought up Fred.  It was too much to hear a woman with Fred's face talk about Fred. 

"I wasn't mourning Fred, Illyria.  No need to be jealous."

"Jealous?  What is jealousy but a useless, mortal emotion?  I am not jealous, I am curious. Why do you sit in your office looking perplexed with the stink of vile liquids on your breath?"

"I am not drunk, Illyria.  I haven't had a drink since I got to work.  And I'm perplexed because I'm not sure who to trust."

"You have doubt in your other lower beings?"  Illyria's head had tilted in her curious way, a sign to Wesley that she was interested in what they were speaking of.  Whenever she wanted to learn more of the topic they were discussing, her head would cock to the side acutely, as if she wanted to hear more.

"Yes, I do.  I'm not sure whom to trust anymore.  I received some information that makes me wonder about my other colleagues."  
"Even the girl who was here earlier?"

"No.   Not Liberty.  I trust her."

"And me?  Do you trust me?"  She sounded earnest then, a surprising tone for Illyria.  She sounded like a typical girl.

"I suppose I do, as much as I can.  You are still an evil goddess who took the life of the woman I loved."

"I replaced her."

"You are not her."

"I do not wish to be."

Illyria stepped forward again, her hand slowly tracing the contours of Wesley's face as if he were a science project to be examined.  The touch was gentle yet cold and it shocked Wesley.

"I will give you aid if you require it.  If you only trust me and the other girl, than you may need it."

"I might."

Wesley allowed a small smile to form on his face.  Illyria was trying to help in her own way.  And that was enough to make him feel better after his previous encounter with Liberty.

            Liberty knocked on the door to Connor's dorm room lightly.  She wanted him to answer the door, but she wasn't sure how to explain everything she'd found out.  If he wasn't home she would have more time to think about the words she wanted to use.  Unfortunately, the door opened, but the one who answered wasn't Connor.

"Hey."  He checked her out obviously.  He was kind of disgusting, but he must know Connor since he had answered his door.  She smiled coquettishly, hoping to get in the door and away from him as soon as possible.

"Hi.  Is Connor home?"

"Why does he always get the hot ones?  Connor, you've got another hot girl out here.  I'm going to stop answering the door soon.  It just depresses me."

Connor appeared at the door immediately, smiling slightly at Liberty.

"Libby?  What are you doing here?"  
"I just have some stuff I wanted to talk to you about."

She caught his gaze and he understood what she meant.  He stepped out into the hall, ignoring his roommate's indignation at not being introduced to the girl standing in front of him.

"We can walk around campus.  See you later, Brenden."  Liberty walked on ahead of Connor ready to explain everything.


	9. Trust

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Nine  
Trust_**

            Liberty and Connor walked peacefully around campus, appearing to be every bit the typical unobtrusive couple.  Little did the casual observer know they were discussing mystical powers, connections, convergences, and mistrust.  Liberty explained what she and Wesley had discovered quietly as Connor listened intently, completely absorbed in what she was telling him.

"So, we haven't told anyone else.  Wesley and I have decided to wait until we have more information to tell others."

"Because you don't trust Angel."

"Wesley is suspicious of him, yes.  I'm respecting his theory and request by not telling Angel."

"But you personally trust Angel."

"He does have a lot of connections to this convergence, some that seem beyond coincidence to me.  But I haven't gotten a bad read from him.  He doesn't have a darker purpose that I can sense."

Connor stopped walking, her words sinking in.  She was very good at evading his questions, but she'd dropped clues she hadn't intended.  She couldn't read him as bad?  She couldn't sense a darker Angel?  What did all that mean?  He led her to a bench to make her look at him directly.  He needed answers.

"How can you sense whether Angel is bad or not?"

Liberty looked like a deer caught in headlights as she realized she'd said too much.  Evidently, she had to watch what she said around Connor.  He was sharp and apparently hung on every word she said.

"I can usually read people's feelings very well."

"Don't lie to me, Libby."

She hadn't answered fast enough for him, and her entire demeanor changed.  She seemed closed off all of a sudden, guarded.  Connor reached out and guided her chin up so she would have to look him in the eye.  He didn't know what kind of reaction he would set off by doing so.  He wanted to know about her.  She knew everything about him and he knew next to nothing about her.  As their gazes locked, she could feel how much he wanted her to trust him.  She shuddered as she the feeling of vampire-like qualities struck her.  She could sense the vampire in him and that made no sense.  He always gave that feeling off.  Despite that feeling, she knew how much he wanted her trust and she knew how much she needed to trust him even if she couldn't understand her read of him.

"I have a gift, Connor."

"A gift?  For me?"  Connor seemed completely puzzled by her words.  Liberty smiled at his naivety.  He had no idea what she meant.

"Not like a present.  A gift.  An ability.  I can look into people's eyes and read what they are, read what they want and feel.  Like Angel, I knew he was a vampire before anyone told me.  Wesley, I knew was human, Spike was a vampire.  Look, that person over there-"

Liberty indicated the girl she was speaking of.  Connor looked at her as Liberty locked gazes with the girl.

"She's a demon worshipper.  She joined the cult after feeling completely lost at college.  She's a freshman and she's having trouble fitting in, so this cult has given her a home."

Connor bit his lip, knowing he couldn't go up and ask the girl if Liberty was right. 

"You don't have to believe me. You don't have to like me or my gift, but that's what I've been hiding.  That's what I meant."

Connor took a deep breath.  This whole supernatural arena was new to him.  He had no idea what to believe and what not to, but he could feel the urgency in Liberty's words.  She wanted him to believe her so desperately.  Because it was true.  She wanted him to know because it was true and she was afraid he'd run.  Because she was a freak.  But he wouldn't, because he was a freak too.

"I believe you, Liberty."

She sighed in relief, the weight of keeping her secret from Connor falling off of her shoulders.  Now she could keep Connor's secret and he could keep hers.  Their relationship would be different now; it was far beyond just a working relationship now.  They couldn't even use that excuse anymore.  And Liberty didn't really want to.

"Good.  Listen, Connor, no one else really knows about this.  Wolfram and Hart does, but most people don't."  
"I won't tell.  Don't worry."

"I won't."

She checked her watch as she noticed the sun was setting.

"Oh, I've gotta go.  I'm meeting Spike for dinner tonight."

"Spike for dinner?  You aren't the main course, I hope."

Liberty giggled at the idea of Spike eating her.

"Spike has a soul.  Plus, Wolfram and Hart has that whole no-human-eating policy.  So don't worry."

"I won't." He replied, repeating the words she'd just spoken.

Liberty smiled at him as she stood from the bench.  She walked away from him before turning back.  "I'll see you later, Connor."  
"Later, Liberty."  He watched her walk away with a different feeling inside.  She wasn't fleeing from him because he was a freak.  She had mystical powers too.  He wasn't alone anymore.  And neither was she.

            Wesley paused outside Angel's office, unsure of whether he wanted to knock or not.  He wanted to ask Angel questions, find out if he was responsible for Fred's untimely demise, but he wasn't sure if he wanted the answers.  Wesley finally lifted his hand to pound three times on the door and then waited for an answer. 

"Come in."

Wesley opened the door and stuck his head in.  It was best to feign oblivion, so he remained the ever-polite British Watcher.

"I do hope you aren't busy, Angel."

"No.  Just going over some paperwork.  What's going on, Wesley?" 

Angel had been expecting Wesley's visit.  Since Spike had told him about Wesley and Liberty's discovery, he'd been waiting.  He'd been dreading it.  Before, he'd never had to lie to his friends.  They didn't know; their memories were gone.  He just never told them about his son.  But now Wesley knew and he would have to blatantly lie to their face.  And Angel had the sinking feeling that Wesley would find out anyway.  Wesley had that talent.  That's why Angel needed him.

"I just wanted to ask you some questions."  
"About what?"

Wesley took his place in a leather chair in front of Angel's desk.  He gathered his words to speak carefully.  Anything could hint Angel that Wesley knew.  Angel was evil or very possibly so.  Wolfram and Hart may have corrupted him.  Wesley had to be delicate with his words.

"We never really talked about why you accepted the deal with the law firm, Angel."

"I knew the resources were far greater than what we had.  To fight Evil, we needed to be a part of it."

"And that's the only reason you took the contract?"  
"Yes."

Angel stared Wesley down, challenging him to dispute that fact.  Angel figured if he showed indignation and challenge, Wesley would leave it alone for a while.  He might even feel guilty for thinking Angel was behind some big scheme.  Angel didn't know what would happen for sure, but he knew that his best bet was to send Wesley off track.  Angel bit his lip as he thought about all Wesley had done to him.  Wesley had kidnapped his son, which sent him to Quortoth, which led to Connor's return as a teenager, which led to his anger towards Angel.  So Connor's unhappiness was partly Wesley's fault.  Of course, Wesley didn't know that.  It was better for Wesley that he didn't remember Connor.  Wesley had no idea what he was messing with and the consequences his conscience would suffer if he ever found out.  Angel's silence gave Wesley time to digest what he had said.  Something in Wesley changed, noticeably, but Angel didn't know what to do about it.  Did Wesley already know he was lying?  Did he already suspect him for signing their lives away to the devil to save his son? 

"All right.  We didn't make it a group discussion or anything, so I've always been curious as to why you chose to take this job.  I know now.  You satisfied my curiosity."

Wesley stood abruptly and headed towards the door.

"Wesley, have you found anything out on that Johnson case?"

"Johnson case?  Oh, Liberty's case?  No.  Nothing."

They stared at each other for a moment, wrapped in their lies and truths.  Wesley smiled oddly before leaving the office.

            Liberty hurried into the restaurant.  Outback.  Spike liked the bloomin' onion.  Said it was almost as good as The Bronze's.  Liberty didn't really know what he was talking about, but she'd agreed to go.  Spike was there already.  He must have left the offices as soon as the sun set.  She walked back to the table and sat down when Spike glanced up and winked at her.

"I already ordered the bloomin' onion.  It'll be the best bloody thing you've ever tasted."

"I hope it's not bloody."

Spike stopped sipping his beer for a moment, positive he'd used the curse in front of her before.  Then, he realized it was her try at a lame joke.

"Nice, luv.  I promise, I'll keep the blood for myself."

Liberty's delighted laughter rang out.  Spike couldn't help but smile.  Liberty was magnetic.  Her moods rubbed off on him, whether she was sad or happy.  Lucky for him, tonight she was happy.  But hearing her laughter made Spike's conscience prick at him.  He was lying and spying on the poor girl.  She didn't have a clue.  She was so oblivious to it and he felt horrible.  She trusted him and he was betraying her.  He wasn't even sure why he was helping Captain Forehead anyway.  He didn't even like Angel.  Spike sighed and took another swig of his beer.  Liberty ordered a Dr. Pepper and sipped as she settled into the booth.

"Sorry I was late.  I went to see Connor on his college campus.  I loved the college campus.  I can't wait until I get to go to college."

"Connor?  Who's he?"

Spike feigned innocence.  If he acted like he had forgotten her case, she might open up more.

"You know, Connor Johnson.  I'm working on his case.  You were mean to him when you met him."

"That hardly narrows it down, pet.  I'm mean to a lot of people."

"The boy who had mysterious powers pop up.  Come on, Spike.  You're not that forgetful."

"Right.  The whelp in your office."

"Yeah."

"How's that case going?"

Liberty glanced down at her drink, unsure of what to say.  Wesley had said not to tell Angel, but could she tell Spike?  She trusted Spike almost as much as she trusted Wesley.  Spike took care of her.  He wouldn't betray her for Angel.  Spike didn't even like the other ensouled vamp.  He would align himself to her if it came down to her or Angel.  She thought.  She started to tell him what she'd discovered but she stopped herself.  No.  She should ask Wesley before she told Spike anything.  She had to respect Wesley's wishes.

"Not very well. I can't seem to find a lot out.  I keep reading book after book, but nothing seems to fit the descriptions that Connor has given me about his powers and memories."

She tried to force the frustration in her voice, but she didn't know if she succeeded.  Luckily, the appetizer came before she could say anything else.  She took a bite of the onion and chewed thoughtfully.  Spike wondered if maybe she was reconsidering lying to him.  Maybe she would decide to confide in him.  Of course, he would end up taking it to Angel, which would only prove that Liberty's trust was unfounded, but it was possible.

"You're right, Spike.  This is good."

She smiled brightly and Spike looked away.  He was a horrible person.

            Wesley slammed the door to his office and tossed all the books off his desk.  He felt like screaming, yelling, and crying all at once.  He had believed in Angel and he had been wrong.  Angel was probably responsible for Fred's death.  Angel was responsible for everything else.  He knocked the phone off his desk next, but instead of hearing a satisfying crash, he heard nothing.  He looked up and found Illyria's blue eyes staring curiously at him with the fallen phone in her hand.

"You are throwing your talking device now.  Something is not right."

"No, Illyria.  Everything is wrong."

"Including me?"

"Not including you."

"Is it the half-breed?  He has betrayed you, then."  
"Yes, Illyria, he has.  He lied to my face and acted like it was nothing.  Who knows how long he has been lying to me.  He could be responsible for Cordelia's death or-"

"The shell's death?  I do not know."

Wesley slid down to the floor, propping his back against the desk.  Illyria knelt down as well, in front of him.  She stared at him to the point of making him uncomfortable.  She acted as though he was in a laboratory for her study.  He supposed that was Fred's inquisitive nature coming through.  Or perhaps it was all Illyria.  She did enjoy learning new things.

"You will not continue working at the Wolf, Ram and Hart."

"Yes, I will."

"But you are being betrayed by those you trust most."

"Are you betraying me?"

She stopped moving as she tried to make sense of his words. 

"No.  I am not.  Are you betraying me?"

"No.  I am not."  He echoed her words. 

"Then why do you continue working for the half-breed?"

"Because someone has to watch him.  If no one does, he may be able to get away with all the lies and secrets."

"So you will betray him as well."

"I suppose so."

"I could kill the half-breed."

"No, you can't draw attention to yourself."

"I am a superior being.  I am supposed to have attention on me."

"Not when you're a fugitive deity."  
"I curse this shell."

"Never curse the shell."

Wesley's eyes widened as he realized he had called Fred the shell for the first time.  It had just rolled off his tongue.  Was he really starting to see them as separate people?  He knew Fred wasn't in the body anymore.  No, Illyria's distinctly different soul was in it.

"I will not kill him, yet.  But if he continues to betray you, I will."  Illyria said it with distinct defiance and protectiveness in her voice.  Apparently he had grown on her, much in the same way she had grown on him.  Wesley reached his hand out and gripped Illyria's. 

"You don't have to worry about me.  I can take care of Angel."

"I would never worry about a lower being.  I do not even worry for my equals."

"I never meant to presume."  Illyria nodded and jerked her hand back.  She felt something she did not understand.  She rarely felt anything but pain and pleasure.  But she could feel it bubbling inside of her.  She recognized the feeling as devotion, according to her shell's memories.  And the feeling wasn't towards herself.  It was towards another.  A lower being.


	10. Messages

AN: The Shadower:  Feel free to leave as long as reviews as you want.  It helps me know what I'm doing right and wrong.  I love your reviews.  They make my whole day!

**_Gift _**

**_Chapter Ten_**

**_Messages_**

            Liberty sunk into her couch and flipped on the television.  It was time for some mindless entertainment.  She'd been running her conversation with Connor in her head over and over again, the relief of having finally told Connor the truth flooding her emotions with the added anxiety that he could change his mind and hate who she was, had left her emotionally drained.  She didn't think she could concentrate on Connor's problem if she tried.  She knew now was not the time to get unfocused.  She and Wesley were the only ones who knew what was happening on Connor's case and they needed to stick together and buckle down on finding out the rest.  They needed to know whether they could trust Angel or not.  The doorbell rang loudly, breaking her from her thoughts, but she didn't want to get up.  She was too tired to get up.  Luckily her mom was home.

"Libby, sweetheart, you have a friend here."

"A friend?"  Liberty leaned forward, trying to see who was in the entryway.  Who would come to her house?  She didn't have any friends at school that would just show up.

"Yes.  With blue hair."  Her mother's distaste was clear in her voice which only made Liberty want to laugh.  If her mom only knew.

"Illyria?  Come on in here."

Illyria appeared in the living room, curious of her surroundings.  Liberty supposed Illyria had never really been in a house before.  Wesley had kept her at his apartment for a while, but his bachelor pad was quite different to Liberty's homey place.

"I have come for Wesley.  He has sent a message.  I do not enjoy delivering messages, but I did tell him I would give him aid."

"That's very nice of you to bring the message to me."  
"Do not call me nice.  I do not wish to have those character traits lower beings label each other with forced upon me."

Liberty hid a smile and lowered her eyes.  "I'm sorry, Illyria.  I wasn't trying to anger you."

"There was a time when I would have your head squashed like a bug's for displeasing me."

"Well, I'm glad we're not in that time any longer.  I kind of like my head."

Illyria tilted her head and stared at Liberty with her blue eyes.  She seemed to be judging her, debating whether she liked Liberty or not.  Liberty remained still and allowed Illyria to make her judgments, figuring it was easier to let Illyria do as she wished than to ask her to stop staring.  Illyria finally seemed satisfied with what she as finding and continued.

"Wesley has said that it is no longer safe to discuss the Connor matter at the wolf, the ram and the hart.  You are to meet him at his small room tomorrow instead of returning to the large building.  He will wait for you."

"Okay.  Did he give you an address for his apartment?"

"He gave me a paper with written instructions."

Illyria produced the sheet of paper and handed to Liberty. 

"He also suggested you bring the boy.  He believes that the boy will be able to assist your research as well I."

"You're helping us, Illyria?"  
"I have grown bored since I cannot kill or torture."

"That's great!"

"Wesley also said that it is no longer safe to discuss the Connor matter with others.  Keep silent except with those of us he trusts."

"All right."

Illyria nodded, feeling almost productive.  She had been able to help Wesley and she had been able to examine the living arrangements of families.  She turned without bidding Liberty good bye.  That would have been a little too human for Illyria.  She did not wish to become friends with the mortal. 

"Thank you, Illyria."

"Do not thank me.  I did nothing to deserve gratitude.  It is meaningless anyway."

Liberty's smile turned impish as she hurried to Illyria's side.

"Meaningless unless it's from Wesley, right?"  
Illyria's eyes flashed interestingly.  Liberty giggled, a sound Illyria was not used to.  She had heard human laughter and enjoyment, but never a giggle. 

"I do not know what you are saying."

"You like Wesley."

"I do not.  I like no mortal being.  You are all below me."

"Except Wesley."  Liberty's smile widened as her eyes glittered in amusement.  Illyria went for the door immediately.  
"I must get back to the wolf, the ram, and the hart before someone notices the blue-haired one.  It is to be dangerous for me, since I cannot kill."

Liberty watched as Illyria left the house quickly, her head down, her hair blowing in the wind.  She had touched a nerve.  Illyria liked Wesley.

            Spike propped himself up against the wall, waiting for Angel to notice his presence.  Angel was brooding, as usual, but he seemed more lost in thought than the usual I-was-such-a-horrible-mean-vampire brood.  Angel finally saw Spike in the shadows.  
"I hope you don't plan on watching me all night, Spike."  
"That'd get a mite boring, Peaches.  I just came to tell you I had dinner with Liberty tonight."  
"I don't need to know about your eating habits."  
"She doesn't trust you, mate.  Not really.  Book Boy has turned her against you, I wager."  
"Liberty doesn't seem like the type to be easily swayed."  
"And she might not be easily swayed.  She just doesn't trust you much.  She knows more than she'll admit.  More than what I even overheard.  There's something big going on under your nose."

"Well, if she didn't tell you what, she doesn't trust you, either."

"She doesn't trust anyone besides Wesley, I think.  He's told her not to tell.  She wants to tell, though, I could sense it.  I suppose I could keep workin' her over, see if she'll give anything up.  I hate doing that to the bit.  She's such a sweet girl."

"It's better that no one knows about Connor, Spike.  You know that.  The repercussions of what I did will hit this place full force.  It'll hit the side of good if we suddenly divide.  Wesley would never forgive me for messing with his mind, neither would Gunn."

"That's what you get for playing God."

"I had to do it, Spike."

"Didja?  Or didja just get off on messing with everyone's heads?"

Angel turned away from Spike and pushed the heavy brocade curtains back.  He stared at the moonlight shining down on him, wishing he could go back and change everything.  He wished that a lot.  Maybe he would start back in the 1700's and never drink from Darla.  Angel hated it when he started having his dark thoughts.  They just made him more miserable than he already was.

"What were you thinking about when I came in?"

"Why do you want to know?"  
"You looked like the next apocalypse was coming.  What were you thinking about, then, your boy?"

"Yes.  I was thinking about Connor.  He was such a perfect baby.  Didn't cry a whole lot, liked to cuddle.  He even liked my vamp face; it made him laugh.  I was happy for once, Connor seemed to absolve all my sins, you know?  He was this innocent byproduct of Darla and I that would wipe away the stain Darla and I left on this world.

"But Connor was caught in the cross-fire before he could fix the problems Darla and I had left behind.  He was taken away to that demon dimension and grew up before I could find him.  And he hated me.  Oh, he hated me so much."  
"As much as I hate you, Peaches?"  
"Probably more.  Then, he fell for Cordelia-"

"The Oedipus Rex syndrome."  
"And suddenly I was the enemy even more than I was before.  Because I loved Cordelia too.  Connor just went off the deep end.  He completely lost it.  He was ready to kill a store full of people, himself, and Cordelia just to end his pain.  I could see it in his eyes.  He wasn't bluffing.  He really wanted to kill himself.  So I made the deal with Wolfram and Hart. 

"I want to blame everyone else for Connor's problems, but I can't.  It was all my fault.  I didn't try to protect Connor enough and I practically banished him from the hotel.  His heartbreak was partly my doing, so I tried to fix it.  But I don't think I did.  I think I've just screwed things up more."

Spike didn't speak, a surprise to both of them.  Angel was ready for Spike to jump at the chance to mock Angel for his idiocy, but Spike didn't.  He seemed to realize now wasn't the time.

"Well, it isn't worth much, but you probably did the right thing.  That boy seems happy, now, though a bit sullen.  Brooding must be hereditary and no matter how much you try to change who's child he is, he didn't lose that."

Angel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as the curtains fell back into place.  He shifted uncomfortably, not used to confiding in anyone, much less Spike.  Spike seemed uncomfortable to, not wanting to know about Angel's burdens and issues.

"I'll keep my ear out for what Liberty's been finding out.  I'll keep you updated."  
"Do that."

Spike exited the room quickly to avoid anymore of that emotional stuff.  Before he knew it, they would have been hugging.

            Illyria shut the door quietly, but it still startled Wesley.  He looked up from his books and smiled wanly at the goddess.

"No one saw you, I gather."  
"Liberty did.  And her mother.  She did not approve of my hair color."

Wesley chuckled lightly as he removed his glasses.  He rubbed the bridge of his nose and waited for Illyria to report Liberty's response.  
"The girl said she found working at your small room acceptable and would bring the boy along with her."  
"Good."

"She also seemed shocked that I am aiding you in the search for the boy's origins.  I told her I was bored."  
"Is that why you're helping, Illyria?"

"Yes.  I do not usually bother myself with the lower being's problems, but since you won't let me kill the half-breed or anything else, I have nothing else to entertain myself with.  The box with moving pictures is not fun.  I do not understand why people laugh at such pathetic attempts at amusement."

Wesley handed Illyria a large book with a raised eyebrow.  "Television can be quite entertaining if you know what to watch.  But I do appreciate your help."  
"She said I enjoyed your gratitude as well."  
"And do you?" Wesley watched her intrigued.  
"I do not know.  Perhaps.  Or it may be the remnants of the shell's desires.  She enjoyed helping you and liked your appreciation."  
"Yes, she did.  Fred loved to help people."

"I am not helping people.  I am helping you."

"I am a person, Illyria, despite popular belief."

"I know you are human.  I am painfully aware of this.  I only help you, though.  No others."  
"All right.  You don't help people.  I did not mean to upset you."  
"I am not upset.  I grow irritated at the lack of amusement I face."

"Read, then."

"Read?"

"The book I handed you has stories in it.  Read it."  
Illyria sighed loudly and sat down perplexed in a chair.  She opened the book carefully and stared at the words.  Perhaps this reading would entertain her.


	11. Betrayed

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Eleven_**

**_Betrayed_**

            Liberty glanced around the building, double-checking the address Illyria had given her.  The halls were dark and narrow and the entire complex was silent.  Wesley did like his silence.   She stopped in front of the door and rapped twice.  Wesley answered the door looking the most disheveled she had ever seen him.  His shirt was unbuttoned a couple of times, his sleeves were pushed up, and he had a definite five o'clock shadow. 

"Liberty!  You didn't have trouble finding this place, I hope."

"No.  I'm just late because I had to stay after school to make up a test. You know, skipping school to research a boy's new powers due to a mystical convergence is not a good thing."

Wesley chuckled and let her come inside.  "Connor arrived a few moments ago and Illyria is always with me, of course."

"Of course.  She doesn't do well unsupervised, does she?"

"Not really." 

Liberty smiled brightly at Connor who stopped what he was doing immediately.

"Libby! Hey!"

"Hi.  Hello, Illyria."

"Greetings are useless.  They announce your presence which is already realized."

"I suppose you're right."

Illyria nodded self-satisfied and leaned back into Wesley's recliner.  Liberty walked to the couch where Connor was seated and sat down shyly.  Wesley handed her a file with a knowing smile on his face.  Liberty took it, relieved and began to read fervently.  Wesley had pulled some personnel files; people hired last May.  He was hoping they would find the person that could be responsible for the convergence.  It was very likely they were employed by Wolfram and Hart or were associated with them at the very least.  Liberty flipped page after page until her eyes fell on a picture.  Her eyes widened and she pulled on Connor's shirt.

"This is-!"

"That's Brenden!"  Connor jerked the file out of Liberty's hand as Wesley jumped to his feet to see what Liberty had found.  
"Who is Brenden?"

"He's Connor's roommate."

"He was the first person I met at college.  He's my best friend."

Connor read the file carefully.  
"It's says he's half Suvelish demon.  They're supposed to be excellent at careful surveillance because of their extra sensitive hearing and eyesight.  It says Brenden is 431 years old."

"Wolfram and Hart planted him?" Liberty asked cautiously, trying her best to avoid hurting Connor more than he already was.

"He must have.  Let me see that file, Connor."

Connor relinquished the file reluctantly, an incredibly hurt look on his face.  Wesley scanned it.

"The order was to watch one Connor.  It doesn't give him a last name; it doesn't give any information on you.  The order was signed off by Angel."

Liberty gasped, any bit of hope she'd held onto that Angel wasn't betraying them vanishing into thin air.  Angel had been lying to all of them since Connor had arrived at Wolfram and Hart desperate for help.  Wesley tossed the file on the couch angrily, the reach of Angel's betrayal hitting him harder than it had hit Liberty.  Wesley had let his guard down.  He'd always been slightly mistrustful of Angel since he was a vampire, but Wesley had finally grown to believe in Angel's mission.  Now he knew Angel had been lying for who knows how long.  Connor sat in silence, reveling in his own feeling of betrayal.  His best friend wasn't really his friend at all.  He was a job to his best friend.  His privacy had been invaded because of Angel and Brenden had used him to get what was needed for Angel.  Connor sighed loudly, which led Liberty to slide her hand to his lap to take his hand. 

"You all sit in complete and utter desolation due to the actions of others.  You should not allow the actions of half-breeds and lower beings to affect you so."

"Thank you, Illyria, for that excellent definition of our feelings.  But at the moment, we do not wish to hear your prattle about your disappointments of human emotion."

Illyria blanched, surprisingly so.  She seemed almost hurt by his comment.  She stood abruptly.  "I am going to return to the wolf, ram and hart now."

"You can't go there without me."  
"You are not my ruler.  You will not inform me of what I will or will not do.  You are below me."

Illyria stormed away from him, slamming the door behind her. 

"Awww, Wesley, you hurt her feelings."

"Illyria doesn't have feelings, Libby."

"She does where you are concerned."  Liberty paused before asking another unspoken question.

"What are we going to do?"  
"Connor will continue on like he doesn't know anything about his roommate.  We can't let Angel know that we know until we're ready.  And I'm going to confront Angel as soon as I gather my thoughts and all the information I need."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Keep in constant contact with Connor.  Make sure Brenden doesn't suspect anything, either.  Because if he does, he could go to Angel anyway."

"All right."

"I'll call you both after I have a discussion with Angel.  Does that sound acceptable to both of you?"

"Yes."  
"Yeah."

Connor stood up and headed for the door.  His face was sullen and angry and confused.  He didn't want to hear any more instructions from Wesley.  He didn't want to know any more than he already did, suddenly.  He could remember a time that he didn't have superpowers and he didn't have to wonder if all his friends were plants by an international law firm to keep him under constant surveillance.  For all he knew his teachers and councilors were plants too. 

"Connor, I'll walk home with you!"  Liberty's face was smooth and hopeful.  Connor shook his head.

"No.  I just want to be alone for awhile."

"I'll call you tomorrow, then."

"Whatever."

Connor opened the door and left in a huff, much of the way Illyria had only moments before.  Liberty closed her eyes and popped her neck as she tried to stop the disappointment from suffocating her.  Connor didn't need her.  He never had.

            Connor stopped outside his dorm building, trying to gather the courage to go on into the dorm.  He'd have to see Brenden and he'd have to pretend like he didn't know who or what Brenden really was.  Connor took out the picture he'd swiped off of Wesley's side table, still in its frame.  The woman from his dreams was there, smiling brightly with her arm around Wesley, Angel, and Gunn.  They looked happy and at peace in that photograph.  Liberty had told him the woman's name was Cordelia Chase, but there wasn't much else she could tell him about Cordelia.  Liberty didn't know Cordelia, just of her.  He pushed the picture back into his jacket pocket and trudged up the stairs to his apartment.

            Liberty sat outside on a bench in a park near the Wolfram and Hart offices.  She knew it wasn't best to be out at night, but she was ready in case a vampire attacked.  She just felt like being outside to be wrapped up in her thoughts.  She remained on guard though, which was exactly why she tensed when she heard the leaves crunch behind her.  She whirled to see Spike approaching her.

"Didn't mean to frighten you, Love."

"Oh, I'm not scared.  I was just ready to stake you."  
"What a pity that would have been.  What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking."  
"About what?"

"Trust."

"Trust of what? Or whom?  Or are you thinking of putting all that money you're making into one?"

Liberty laughed lightly.  Spike was such an amazing friend. He could make her laugh when no one else could.  If she didn't know better, she would never think he was an ex-vicious vampire.

"Just trusting people and what happens when they betray you."  
Spike sat down on the bench, his dead heart almost feeling like it was pounding.  Did Liberty know about his betrayal?  Was that what caused her to think about trust?  
"Who's betrayed you, pet?"

"I didn't say I'd been betrayed."  
"But something made you think about it."

Liberty bit on her lip, wondering if she could tell Spike now.  He wasn't Angel.  He hated Angel.  And Spike wouldn't betray her.  Of all the people she knew, Spike was the one she knew she would never be betrayed by.

"It's Angel.  He's been lying to everyone.  You know the Connor Johnson case I've been working on?"

"Yes."

"He knows about Connor's powers. He's the one responsible for the convergence that activated Connor's powers in the first place."

Spike's eyes widened, from surprise that Liberty was telling him.  She still didn't have any idea he was working with Angel to stop them from finding out Connor's true nature.  She still believed in him.  He felt like such a wanker. 

"So you're taking it all very personally, then."

"Well, I thought this job was basically a gift from heaven.  This gift that I was cursed with could finally be put to good use; I would be helping people with their problems.  Everyone was so close-knit too.  Wesley, Gunn, Angel, even you, though you probably hate me for saying it.  You were all so close.  I wanted to be a part of something like that.  I wanted to share a bond with people who saved the world every single day.  But Angel isn't any different.  He lies like everyone else does."  
"He's a vampire."

"With a soul. Like you.  You don't lie and cheat and all that.  You're a good vampire."

Spike glanced away from Liberty.  She trusted him so completely.  It hurt him to know that.  She believed in him for no reason at all and he was betraying her.  
"Libby-"

"Mhm?"

He wrapped a brotherly arm around her, pulling her close.  Liberty relaxed in his embrace, staring up at the sky as the clouds passed over the crescent moon.

"Nothin'.  Just don't worry about Angel, pet.  I'll help you out with him."

"No.  I wasn't supposed to tell.  Wesley is going to deal with Angel.  He told me to just wait."

"The whelp thinks he's going to get Angel to what, confess all his wrong doings and beg for repentance?"

"Well, I don't know what he plans on exactly.  He didn't tell me that.  I just agreed to stay out of it for the moment."

"All right, love.  I won't say anything."

Liberty sighed and leaned up to give Spike a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me.  Please."  Little did Liberty know Spike really didn't deserve her thanks.


	12. Reveal

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Twelve_**

**_Reveal_**

       Wesley tried to mask his worry as he entered the Wolfram and Hart building.  He'd called his office to let Illyria know he was returning, but she had never picked up.  He knew she had a distaste for the 'small connecting boxes' but she always picked up when he'd start to leave a message.  Wesley kept his eye out as he walked to his office, hoping he'd see Illyria watching him with her haunting eyes from a corner. 

"Wes!  I'm surprised to see you here so early."

Wesley froze upon hearing Angel's voice.  He hadn't expected to see Angel so soon, not after what he'd discovered.  Wesley had wanted to prepare himself for confronting Angel and he wasn't sure he could hide his anger and distrust of Angel very well at that moment.

"I just came to drop off these books.  I've been helping Liberty with that Johnson case."

"Oh.  I thought you might be looking for your evil smurf."

Wesley's eyes widened.  Angel had found Illyria.  Or so it seemed.

"My evil smurf?"

"Yes, I believe you call her Illyria.  She was quite angry when I tied her up in my office.  She told me 'Wesley will harm you, half-breed, for taking me hostage.  He knows your petty secrets anyhow, so he already has it in his mind to harm you.  I will sit as a spectator and watch this time.' She's a cheerful sort of girl, isn't she?"

Wesley chose his words carefully.  He'd been lying to Angel just as Angel had been lying to him, though he would hardly compare the two cases.  Illyria was practically harmless, whereas Angel was responsible for Fred's death even more than Illyria was.

"Take me to Illyria."

"All right.  But you will give me an explanation as to why Illyria is still alive and why you have been hiding her."

"I'll give you answers as soon as you tell me why you had us brainwashed and pushed into this law firm during a mystical convergence that led to the activation of a high school boy's powers."

It was Angel's turn to shift uncomfortably and clear his throat.  He was clearly annoyed at being caught in his lie and that made Wesley feel a little better.  Angel must have thought he would get away with it, but Liberty was sharp as was Wesley.  There was no way he could have kept the secret, not forever. 

"I'll explain everything, Wesley, as soon as we settle down in the office.  But I think you might wish I had kept it a secret after I tell you."  
"That's for me to decide."

Wesley followed Angel back to his plush office to find a protesting Illyria and Pandora's Box waiting to be opened.

      Liberty had been up at dawn, despite her late night at Wesley's.  She hadn't been able to sleep much, her heart hurting for Connor.  He had felt so betrayed when he'd found out about his roommate.  Liberty could understand the feeling of betrayal.  Her mind wandered back to the day she'd told her best friend about her gift.  She had been ten at the time.  She trusted Charity with her life, or at least her favorite doll's life, but that trust had been severely misplaced.  She had explained it the best she could to Charity and Charity had looked at her like she was insane.  Maybe she was insane.  Charity had turned on her, anyway, and run out of the house.  When Liberty had arrived at school the next day, everyone was talking about her.  Charity was making fun of her for her wild imagination and Liberty had had to play it off like she was joking.  Charity had betrayed her confidence and her trust and Liberty had never really trusted anyone since then.  At least not until she'd met the Angel Investigations gang.  But Connor was feeling as betrayed as Liberty had, though for completely different reasons, but she understood Connor's feelings.  She wanted desperately to be there for him.  Of course, she had school waiting for her, but she was wondering whether she even wanted to go.  She could just go to Connor's.  Maybe she could just stop off on the way to school.  Yes, that's what she'd do.  She would stop by on the way.

     Connor stood in the living room waiting for Brennen to wake up.  Brennen had no idea that Connor knew.  That was the way things were supposed to be, according to Wesley, but Connor wasn't sure if he could continue the lie.  He was so angry at Brennen.  Brennen had never been his friend.  Connor was just a job to his best friend in the whole world and that made him so angry.  It had been bad enough for him to turn into this freak of nature, but to have his best friend be an ancient demon sent to spy on him was too much.  Connor sank down into the couch, unable to stand anymore.  He wanted to pound something into the ground, a primal urge he'd never felt before.  Or maybe he had felt it and suppressed it.  Connor wasn't sure what he felt anymore, honestly.  Except betrayed.  Connor heard the sheets rustling and the door open as Brennen entered the living room.

"Hey, man, don't you have a class this morning?"  
"Why?  Do you have to call into Wolfram and Hart and tell them I made it there on time?"

Connor's mouth dropped into an O as he realized he had said that out loud.  So much for keeping the knowledge a secret.  Now Brennen knew he knew and things were going to blow up.  Brennen paused as he bit down on his lip, a look of guilt creeping onto his face.

"What did you say?'  
"Nothing."

"How did you find out?"

"I did some reading."

"Reading?"

"Wolfram and Hart's personnel files.  It was part of the little research party Libby, Wesley and I had last night.  I found out what you are and who you are."

"That's why you were acting so weird when you came home last night."

"How could you do this, Bren?  I thought we were best friends.  Lowly freshmen that could band together in a new place."

Brennen sighed and dropped down onto the couch next to Connor, his face apologetic.

"It wasn't really about our friendship, Connor.  Truth is, I was going to start college here anyway.  That's why Wolfram and Hart hired me.  I was a demon and I was going to be attending this school, so they already had a built in spy.  We might have still been friends, Connor, even if Wolfram and Hart hadn't hired me."  
"Was Angel the one that hired you?"

"Actually, it was Lilah Morgan."

"I don't know any Lilah Morgan."

"She's kinda dead.  Got killed during a semi-apocalypse last year."

"Why did you accept this job, Brennen?"  Connor's voice was full of the pain and betrayal and confusion he felt.  He didn't even know where to start.  He wasn't even sure if he was asking the right questions.  He wasn't sure he wanted the answers.  Brennen shrugged.

"I needed the money.  'sides, watching the boss' kid was no big deal.  I was your roommate.  I just had to tell them if you were okay, if anyone else was watching you, that kinda thing."

Connor jumped to his feet, surprise showing on his face.

"Did you say watching the boss' kid?"

"Yeah.  That's what that Angel dude wanted.  That's why he wanted Lilah to hire me.  To watch his kid and make sure he adjusted okay."

Connor's eyes were wide with confusion.  He took a few steps back, head tilted in curiosity.  He hit the side table, knocking a couple of picture frames down, one surrounding a family photo.

"Angel isn't my dad.  You've seen the picture of my dad."  
"Of your whole family.  I thought that man was Angel."

"You've never seen Angel?"

"No.  I always dealt with Lilah Morgan.  And sometimes some chick named Eve."

"Angel's a vampire, Brennen.  You must be wrong.  Vampires don't have children."

"I'm just telling you what Lilah told me."

Connor stared at Brennen, wondering if he was telling the truth.  Connor couldn't trust Brennen.  Brennen had always been lying to him.  He wouldn't know the difference between Brennen lying and telling the truth.  There were no tells in his game face because that's all Connor had seen, the game face.  Brennen held his hands up as if to show he wasn't cheating at a card game.

"Listen, I'm telling you the truth, Connor.  You don't have to believe me.  But you were my friend, even if I was getting paid to be yours."

Connor turned abruptly and ran out of the dorm room, knocking into Liberty on the way out.

            "Connor! What's wrong?"  Liberty grabbed a hold of his arm before he could get too far away from her.  He whirled to face her, his eyes full of anger.

"Take your pick, Liberty, on things that are wrong with my life."

"You didn't confront Brennen, did you?"  Her blue eyes showed her trust and hope for him, and he hated that he had let her down.  He glanced away from her, a silent answer to her question.

"Oh, Connor, tell me you didn't."

"You know I did.  I couldn't stop myself.  I was demanding explanations before I even knew what I was doing."  
"He's going to go to Angel."  
"Doesn't matter.  I'm going to go to Angel after what Brennen told me."  
"Brennen told you information?'  
"Yeah.  Like Angel was my father."

"You have parents."

"That's what I said.  Apparently they aren't really my parents."  Connor's voice broke, whether it be from blind anger or pure hurt, she wasn't sure.  Liberty reached out to him, clasping his hand.  She squeezed it and pulled him closer to her.

"I think my whole life has been a lie, Libby.  I'm not who I thought I was.  I'm not who anyone thought I was."

"You're exactly who I thought you were, Connor.  You're the same boy I've gotten to know.  Even if your last name isn't Johnson.  Even if your last name is-well, Angel doesn't really have a last name, does he?  But it doesn't matter to me.  You are still Connor, the boy I've fallen for."

Connor allowed her words to wash over him.  He smiled slightly before pulling her into a slightly bruising kiss.  Liberty lost herself in that kiss, a kiss so special she didn't know if she would recover from the feelings raging inside of her.  Connor was there, with her, and that was all she needed.  It no longer matter that she had a gift of being able to see people's true nature.  It didn't matter that she had been watching the world from the outside, unable to participate fully in life.  It didn't matter that Connor was different, with powers like a vampire's, possibly activated by some mystical convergence.  It didn't matter that Connor may be the child of a vampire.  It was just her and him.  Connor pulled away from her reluctantly, his forehead still pressed against hers.

"I'm going to see Angel for some answers."

"It's impossible for a vampire to have a child.  I mean, you're not even a vampire, Connor."  
"No, but you said my powers were remarkably close to that of one.  Maybe that's why.  Maybe my mother was human and Angel wasn't.  Maybe I got Angel's powers and my mother's humanity.  I don't know.  That's why I have to see Angel."

"Can I come with you, then?'  
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Liberty."

Their hands were still intertwined, but neither seemed to notice.  Liberty was lost in her thoughts and Connor was simmering in his anger.  He had settled down a little since talking and kissing Liberty, but he was still raging mad. 

"Wesley's going to kill us." Liberty said quietly.

"Yeah.  He is."


	13. Explanations

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

**_Explanations_**

            Wesley walked into the office behind Angel and found Illyria pouting in a chair, bound by several ropes.  Wesley had no doubt that Illyria could break them if Angel made her truly angry, but that emotion seemed to be reserved for Wesley specifically.

"Illyria, I thought we had a discussion about laying low."

"I no longer care about laying low.  I am surprised that you even noticed that the half-breed had captured me."

"Of course I noticed.  It's hard not to notice when my ancient blue haired demon goddess is no where to be found."

"You were missing your pet, perhaps?"

Angel broke into the seemingly lovers' quarrel with a growl.  "As entertaining as watching you two fight over each other, I want to know why Illyria is still alive."

Wesley faced Angel, his eyes narrowed into slits, betrayed blue eyes glittering at him.

"She is alive because she has lost as much as the rest of us.  Illyria has nothing and no one and she can't really hurt anyone anyhow.  She's strong, but she's adapting into the human world as best she can, which is more than I can say for you."

"She can't really hurt anyone?  What about what she did to Fred, eating Fred's soul from the inside?"

"I believe you have something to say about Fred's death.  Illyria had no control over whose body she was put in."

"What are you talking about, Wes?  I'm not responsible for Fred's death.  I tried to save her."

Wesley rolled his eyes and walked towards Illyria, no longer interested in looking at the vampire he should have staked so long ago.  If he had staked Angel when he had arrived at Sunnydale, this whole situation wouldn't exist.  No, because then he wouldn't have met Fred.  If he had staked Angel when they'd brought him back as Angelus a year ago, there would have been no problem and he would have gotten Fred.  Wesley knelt in front of Illyria, loosening the bonds that kept her to the chair.

"You are responsible.  Did you think we wouldn't find out?  About the reason you took this 'partnership' with Wolfram and Hart?  You signed our lives away, Gunn's, Lorne's, mine, Fred's!  Fred's the one that was punished for your selfish desire for power and prestige.  You fed us some rot about being able to stop the evil coming from the company, but that was never your goal, was it?  You wanted to mess with our minds and activate that poor innocent boy's powers for some unknown reason."

Angel seemed shocked at the amount of anger pouring out from Wesley.  He knew Wesley didn't trust him, he knew Wesley was helping Illyria.  But the conclusions Wesley had come up with were so far-fetched, or at least far-fetched for what Angel would do.  He wasn't evil or particularly scheming. 

"Do you have any idea what it was like to hold Fred while she was dying, Angel?  As she cried out and shivered and faded into non-existence, begging me to tell everyone how brave she was, as she wondered why she had to leave so soon.  She was so frail and alone, even though I was with her.  I want to know why you signed our lives away.  I want to know why you had Connor Johnson's powers activated by that convergence that Wolfram and Hart initiated when you agreed to take over this branch."

Angel's mind was racing.  As angry as Wesley was, as intelligent as he was with what he'd put together, he hadn't quite pieced together the puzzle.  So Angel could get out of the situation without telling Wesley about Connor.  About his own son.  He started to wonder what he should say, what lies he could come up with, but his thoughts were interrupted.

"Tell me about Fred last.  I want you to look me in the eye and tell me why you saw fit to sacrifice her.  But first tell me about Connor Johnson."

The door burst open and Connor stepped into view.

"Yes, tell me about my powers, Dad."

            Angel was clearly floored.  Connor gauged his reaction at the word Dad.  Angel flinched as though the word hurt him, but he didn't speak.  It seemed like he was unable to.  Wesley straightened, the ropes falling from his hands.  He seemed completely surprised at Connor's presence, but even more surprised by the word Connor had tossed in.  Liberty stood behind Connor; their hands still clasped tightly, almost a direct line of strength to the boy.  Angel sighed and motioned for Connor to come on into the office.  Connor sat down cautiously, eyeing Angel with a mistrust deeply rooted inside.  Who could blame him?

"How did you find out, Connor?"

"I had a chat with my dear roommate, Brennen.  You know, the friend you hired for me."

"I never hired a friend."

"No, that's right.  It was Lilah Morgan."

Wesley's eyes widened at the mention of Lilah.  He turned questioningly to Angel.

"Lilah was involved with all this?  She was dead."

"She still is, involved and dead.  She pops up occasionally; she was in charge of protecting my son.  Connor."

"You don't have a son, Angel, I would remember."

Angel shook his head.  "Actually, you wouldn't.  That was part of the deal.  No one except me would remember Connor's true origins.  Oh, and Cordelia remembered, since she was in that coma during the time of the nationwide brainwash.  We removed any memories you had of Connor and implanted memories of Connor to the other family and friends and neighbors.  It was to protect you, Connor."

"To protect me?  From what?  An apocalypse?  My mother?  What am I, Angel?  Have I always had these powers?  Was the convergence not really a convergence?"

            "The convergence was the brain tweaking Wolfram and Hart had done.  You always had the powers, Connor.  You just didn't remember having them."  
           "Why did you do this?"  Connor sounded hurt.  His face seemed to fall with every sentence spoken.  Angel leaned against his desk, becoming almost eye level with Connor.  He didn't know how to find the words to explain everything to Connor.  For all he knew, after Connor found out the truth, he would find the nearest sporting goods store and hook up some homemade bombs to the nearest patrons to end his life, just like he had before.  Everything he did for Connor seemed to blow up in face, literally and figuratively.  He wasn't sure if he would be able to live with Connor's complete and utter abhorrence.  Not again.  It'd broken his heart the first time.

"It started three years ago.  My sire, Darla, was in town after being brought back from the dead again.  I was in a dark place then.  A very dark place-"

Angel tried to speak diplomatically as he told Connor the whole story; his birth, Wesley's betrayal, Connor's return, his tumultuous relationship with Cordelia, Angel, even Lorne.  He wrapped it up, "You were going to kill a bunch of people, Connor. You were so angry.  So confused.  This was the only way I knew how to fix it.  You were supposed to have a normal life, a happy one.  I wanted to fix everything for you.  You weren't supposed to return to Wolfram and Hart a few months later wondering where you got your superpowers.  That wasn't part of the deal."

Connor didn't speak.  The whole story seemed unreal.  The whole day seemed surreal.  Connor didn't know how to react.  Was there a right way to react to finding out you were the accidental love child of two evil vampires? 

Wesley couldn't speak either.  He seemed as shocked as Connor.  The thought of him betraying everyone he cared for because of a fake prophecy was outrageous.  Guilt flooded him for betraying Angel as the rage at Angel for lying to them washed away.  He felt eyes on him, Illyria's.  She was studying him.  Probably enjoyed the chance to see a lower being crushed.  It was too much for him.  He hurried out of the room, unable to look anyone in the eye.  What kind of person was he that he would betray his best friend or best business partner by stealing his child? 

Liberty finally voiced the question that Connor had been wondering.  "Did anyone else know about this, Angel?  About Connor's identity?"  Angel didn't seem inclined to turn anyone in, but it was obvious others had known.

"Lilah knew, of course.  The Senior Partners.  And, well, Spike."

Liberty jumped to her feet as Spike's deceit hit her.  Spike had known the whole time?  She had poured her soul out to him, all her fears and worries about Angel and Spike had pretended not to know.  Spike had lied to her.  Spike probably didn't even like her.  He was probably just there to spy on her. 

"Spike knew?"

"Well, yeah.  He saw Connor and said that he looked like a mini-Angelus.  Which you kind of do, Connor."

Liberty couldn't stop the tears from welling up.  She thought she had found people she could trust, but who had she been kidding?  First Angel and now Spike.  Spike.  Spike was like her best friend.  She had trusted him so fully.  He had a soul, so he was good.  Yeah, well, apparently souls didn't matter.  Liberty stormed away just as Spike entered with a loud, "Peaches, they're getting closer-"

He stopped when he saw Liberty, tears in her eyes.  "Pet, what's wrong?"

"Don't talk to me, Spike.  Ever again."

She hit his chest with a heavy thump.  "Be glad I don't have a stake with me."

Spike glanced at Angel, who almost looked sympathetic.  Almost.  Then, Spike looked down to see Connor's face and knew then. They already knew who Connor was.  And Liberty knew what Spike had done. 

"Bloody Hell, Peaches, you could have given me some warnin'."

Liberty was already gone when he turned back to the hall.  "Liberty, wait.  Please, love."  But he was far too late.  She was halfway down the corridor; her back facing him, the only sign that she'd heard him was a slight pause.

Lorne strolled down the hallway towards Angel's office, whistling a Jessica Simpson song.  He'd just had a lovely meeting with her.  Who knew she was really a Jenelish demon?  He continued his journey, but found himself crashing into Liberty.

"Hey, cupcake, I haven't seen you lately.  What have you been up to?"

"The usual.  Work.  Betrayal.  Lies."  Lorne studied her face after that cheerful answer and saw that her cheeks were stained with tears.  He offered his arms and Liberty fell into them, pain seeping into his usually chipper mood.

"What's wrong, crumpet?  What happened?"  Liberty glanced up at Lorne and saw the concern in his red-rimmed eyes.  She sighed.  How much could she tell Lorne?  Apparently he didn't know about Connor, either, as impossible as that seemed since he was an anagogic demon.  The mojo worked on his gift as well. 

"Spike."

"He's not evil again, is he?"  
"I wish it were that simple."

"You wish he were evil again.  An evil vampire.  Libby, sweetie pie, why so drastic?"

"I trusted him, you know?  I thought since he had a soul, he was good.  I was wrong, obviously.  My whole life I've been weary of people.  I've never been able to trust anyone fully, never been able to participate in life fully.  I thought I'd found my place, here at Wolfram and Hart, with people who knew me and knew about my gift, and saw it as that, not a curse or a make-believe story.  But I don't belong here.  Because everyone here stabs each other in the back just as in the other world I live in, the 'real' world."

Lorne squeezed Liberty's shoulders and shook his head.  He looked confused.  Rightfully so.  He had no idea what was going on.  She didn't want to have to explain it.  She didn't want to see his heart break when he found out the truth of everything that had been going on.  She'd already witnessed Connor's heartbreak and Wesley's.  She had felt her own.  She couldn't take anymore. 

"Sing a little tune for me, then.  I'll see if I can help you out."

Liberty paused and she wondered if Lorne would find out by her singing.  He could see everything, the future and probably the past.  He would find out what happened.  But at least she wouldn't have to tell him.

"All right.  I'm not very good."

"I'm sure I've heard worse than you."

"_Counting stars wishing I was okay,_

_Crashing down was my biggest mistake,_

_I never meant to hurt you,_

_I only did what I had to,_

_Counting stars again_"

Lorne tilted his head as he studied her carefully.  The look of awareness hit his face and she knew that he knew.  She half expected him to fall down crying or to storm away angry, but then she remembered that this was Lorne.  He'd probably smile and tell her everything would be okay.

"Sugarcult.  Interesting choice.  Maybe you should take those words to heart.  Spike didn't meant to hurt you, cupcake.  He was trying to do what he thought was right.  Even if that meant lying to you."

"So I should just forgive him?  He let me talk to him about my problems and really he was just reporting everything back to Angel."

"I think you should talk to him.  Hear his side of the story."

"Are you going to just forgive Angel?  He messed with your mind and then lied to your face about everything."

"I've seen Angel through some pretty dark times.  I've seen Angel when he was questioning who he was.  I've seen Angel when he was Angelus.  I've seen Angel sing.  I've also seen Angel when he cares about other people and saves them like a knight-in-shining-armor.  I've seen Angel protect the people he loves.  I'm going to see him through this too."

Liberty smiled at Lorne, feeling a little bit better.  She was almost thankful that she'd run into him.  Of all the people she could have run into when she was so upset, he was the best one.  He had successfully calmed her.

"You know, you're pretty amazing, Lorne."

"I'm glad I'm appreciated here, Liberty.  Talk to Spike."

"Okay.  But he has to find me first."

"Hard to get can be fun."

Liberty laughed lightly, her first laugh of the day.  She gave Lorne another hug before heading towards her office.

"Oh, Libby?"  
            "Yeah?"

"You and Connor.  It's a beautiful thing."

Liberty beamed, then, as she remembered her first kiss with Connor.  Yes, they were a beautiful thing.  But maybe Lorne meant that it was a more permanent thing.


	14. Okay

**_Gift _**

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

**_Okay_**

Connor sat unusually quiet, brooding like a pro.  Angel stood near the door, now, looking ready to bolt down the hall if Connor decided to run from him.  Illyria was the only outsider then, but she stood abruptly.  She seemed to realize that she didn't belong in the conversation, or maybe she just wanted to find Wesley. 

"I will take my leave of you, half-breed.  I no longer wish to see your face."

"Good.  Because I don't want to see you anymore, either, Illyria."

Angel stepped away from the door so he wouldn't block her in.  For some reason, he was inclined to let her go.  He no longer felt threatened by the powerful demi-god.  She left and now all there was left to do was talk to Connor.

"Connor, I-"

"Am I a vampire, Angel?"

"No.  You're not.  You're human.  We never quite knew how that worked.  In fact, we were never really sure how Darla got pregnant with you.  I mean, we know how babies get here, but vampires aren't meant to have children.  We never found an answer to why you were conceived.

"I was so happy when I got you, though, Connor.  And it nearly killed me when Holtz took you away from me."

"Nearly killed you?  You're already dead."

Angel allowed a small smile to appear on his face.  Connor couldn't be too mad if he would make jokes.  Or maybe he wasn't really making jokes.  It was the truth.  Connor could be ashamed of him, just like he had been before.  He could distrust Angel; he had been lied to by Angel, after all.  Any emotion Connor was feeling at that moment would be completely justified. 

"Well, it about made me turn to dust, then."

Connor sighed and looked up at Angel.  Connor seemed so innocent for a moment, like he had grown up the way Angel had wanted him to.  Innocent and perfect.  He studied Angel closely, almost as if he were examining his face for character traits found in both of them.  He'd see that they had the same eyes, though Darla's color.  They had the same eyebrows and lips and they had the same look of eternal brooding on their faces at all times.  It was almost impossible not to see that they were father and son now that the fact was known. 

"What was my mother like?"

"Darla?  She was amazing and intoxicating and she loved you so much that she gave her life to bring you into the world."

Connor glanced away from Angel then, the look on his features tragic.  He seemed to be considering his whole world at the moment.  Connor bit his lip as he realized that no matter who he thought he was, he would never be able to return to being the happy, care-free college boy, son of the Johnsons, older brother to Elizabeth.  His whole life may change.  There was no way he could tell his family-his pretend family-who he really was.  It would tear the whole family apart and that wasn't what Connor wanted.  But he did want to know more about his true family, the ones who loved him so much that they gave him up.  Darla had staked herself for him and Angel had signed his life away to make sure Connor would be happy.  There was no way to describe how that made him feel. 

"I can't just be your son, Angel.  I have parents, already."

"I know that.  I've seen them."

"It would hurt my family if they knew the truth.  I'm not going to tell them."

"It's your decision."  
"I'm still going to go to college and pretend to be Connor Johnson."

"Also your decision."  
"But I know why you did what you did.  And I respect you for your choice."

"You never respected me before."  
"I obviously didn't know you very well before."  
"You don't know me well now."

"And I would like to change that.  I'd like to get to know you and the rest of the old Angel Investigations."  
"I would love to find out more about you now, Connor, if you want me to."  
"I used to be some kind of super demon fighter, didn't I?"  
"Yeah, you did."

"Can I become one again?  I haven't lost my fighting skills, not really, so maybe I could help out here."  
"You could be an intern."

"Cool."

As the conversation lulled, Connor remembered the look on Liberty's face when she'd found out Spike had been betraying her.  She was probably alone, crying to herself, and he should find her to help her.  She had helped him through this.  Things were clearer between him and Angel, so it was time for him to leave things at that, before he got confused again.

"I need to find Liberty.  She was pretty upset-"  
"Say no more.  Go on."

Connor paused in the doorway as he remembered the ratty old room he'd visited.

"Angel, there was this room I remembered.  I went there one day after being here and I don't know what it was to me.  It was pretty disgusting, small and unclean, but what was it?"

"It was your apartment.  I had kicked you out of the hotel after my three-month sabbatical at the bottom of the sea, so you found your own place.  You and Cordelia lived there for a few months."

"Oh.  Thanks."

"I'll answer anymore questions you might have any time.  Day or night.  I'm up during most of both."

"All right."

"Tell Liberty we're having a staff meeting in a couple of hours.  I need to introduce everyone to our new intern."

Connor smiled for the first time since he'd entered Angel's office.  In fact, it was the biggest smile Angel had ever seen on his son's face.  It cemented his feelings that he'd done the right thing by Connor, even after the huge blow up in his office that very morning.  Connor left the room quietly and Angel watched him go.  Everything was going to be okay.  It was the first time he'd felt that since, well, since Connor had been born.

            Wesley was sitting in the dark once again.  He had found that the darkness and shadows appealed to him as of late.  He held a bottle of scotch in his hand, no longer worried about the glass.  He took a long swig before bemoaning his recent circumstances.  How Angel could look at him was beyond his comprehension.  He had betrayed Angel by stealing his infant son and Angel had forgiven him.  At least the scar on his neck now made sense.  Justine hadn't just been knife happy.  She had had a reason for slicing his neck nearly in half.  He had deserved it, as well.  Wesley took another long sip from the bottle as he wondered how long it would take him to fully numb his pain.  The door opened, letting a stream of light into the office, shining in his face.  Illyria's profile shadowed in the light, blocking his eyes from the intruding brightness.

"You have taken to the vile liquid again after the half-breed's words."

"Yes, I have." 

Illyria walked on into the office, shutting the door, blocking any lightness once more.  She stood before Wesley, her unusually blue eyes glittering with emotion.  Her eyes were glittering with emotion, a sight Wesley thought he would never see.

"Why do you like the amber solution so much?"

"It makes the pain go away, Illyria."  
"The pain of losing the shell?"  
"Amongst other things."

"When will you stop mourning the loss of the shell?"

"I don't know if I ever will."  
"I will never be able to stop your mourning, either, if I wished it to be so."  
"I don't think you could, Illyria, even if you wanted to.  I don't think anyone could."

Illyria seemed confused by his reply.  She always believed that Wesley would eventually be okay.  She had found that she cared for the lower being, as unorthodox as that was.  She was supposed to adapt into human society and she thought that with Wesley she might be able to.  She knew she sounded like a sniveling human, but it was the reality of her thoughts.  But seeing Wesley in this state made her wonder if that was the way it would be.  Humans put so much stock in their emotions and their attachments and half-truths that they spent most of their lives working for them.  It was almost enslaving, a thing Illyria would never stand for.  She was meant for great things, just as she had once been a great thing.  She would be great again as long as she didn't become enslaved as Wesley was.

"Why do you feel the need to lose everything because of your past?  Why do you not move on to the future and the greatness that could be for you?  Why do you dwell on useless feelings and attachments that mean nothing to you?  Why do you ponder past betrayals and losses?"

Wesley looked up at Illyria, unsure of a response.  She looked so earnest in what she was asking, almost innocent for a blue-haired demon.  She almost looked like Fred.

"It's our way.  We spend our time wondering what could have been, playing the what if game."

"If it is your way, I have no desire to lower myself to human status."  
"You aren't above it, Illyria.  You've displayed human emotion, and not just curiosity.  You were hurt by my words at my apartment.  You simmered in your resentment of me."

Illyria tilted her head in that curious way that Wesley had come to adore, even if he would never admit it.  She seemed to be realizing Wesley's words and the reality of them. 

"You wish me to be the shell and I will never be her.  You think me a simple human you can mold but I am not."  
"I don't want you to be Fred, Illyria.  You could never be her and you shouldn't want to be her.  You're far too different and interesting to wish to be Fred.  I loved her.  I loved her so much.  I never got my chance, my chance to be with her, to show her how much I loved her.  I wish everyday I would be able to.  But I won't.  Because Fred is gone.  Even while you stand here, in her form.

            "I don't wish to mold you, Illyria.  I want you to assimilate yourself into human society, but I don't want you to change completely.  I like you, Illyria.  There's no explaining it, but you have such a fresh perspective on everything.  I even like having you around."

"Then why do you drink the vile liquid?"

"Because sometimes it's not enough to just have you here.  Sometimes it has nothing to do with you."

"Will you please put the glass container down?"

"For now."

He set it on the desk carefully as Illyria edged towards him.  They were silent, staring at each other, as if they'd lost all train of thought and any ability to voice words.  Illyria finally picked up her book from the desk, where she had left it last.  She knelt in front of Wesley and handed it to him.

"Will you read the tale to me?"

"You like it?"

"The Little Prince is all right.  I remember the shell's enjoyment of the book.  I want to understand that."

Wesley smiled surprisingly, even as the memory of the last time he'd read the words flooded him.  Then he opened the book and began.

            Liberty had calmed down somewhat from the moment she had found out Spike had played the role of Judas.  She attributed most of it to Lorne's words.  She had remained in her office, waiting for Spike to find her.  He would, eventually, but he may be giving her some space.  If she hadn't talked to Lorne, she would have needed it.  But at the moment, she was kind of bored.  She didn't have anything to work on.  She didn't have anything to do, but think about what had happened earlier that day.  The kiss.  The confrontation.  It had been a fairly exciting day, a good one and a bad one.  She'd been on some extreme highs and lows.  Hopefully things would smooth out after this.  Or maybe things would be just as exciting as they had been since she started working at Wolfram and Hart.  There was no way to tell unless she consulted the psychics.  Finally, she heard a knock on the door.  
"Come in."

"Liberty, before you throw a cross at me, let me explain some things to you."

Spike blurted it out before he had even come through the door.  He seemed a little skittish, as if he were expecting the room to be booby trapped with stakes, holy water, crosses and a little bit of garlic. 

"I'll listen, Spike."

"You will?"  He seemed surprised at her willingness to hear him out.  He must have been expecting her to give up some fight.

"Yes.  I talked to Lorne and he told me I should hear your explanation before I decided whether or not to kill you."

Spike offered her a charming smile before slinking to the desk.  He adjusted his duster as if preparing himself for quite a long speech.  Liberty tilted her chair back, ready to hear it, wondering if it would be eloquent or blurted out.  He was supposed to be a poet, so maybe she'd get some poetry out of it.

"I hated lying to you, pet.  I really did.  I felt guilty, probably worse than how I feel about the people I killed years ago, which is a lot."  
"Not the best analogy, Spike."

"No, I guess it isn't.  But you have to understand something.  I found out about Connor and Angel told me why he'd done the brain mojo thing.  And I thought it made sense.  The boy was suicidal and homicidal.  Angel was trying to stop that, even if it wasn't the best method of goin' about it.  So I decided to help Angel protect the secret.  I thought it would be harder to explain it to everybody after the lengths Angel had gone to keep it a secret.  I went along with it.  And I agreed to tell him what you were digging up on the case."

"And so you became friends with me to spy on me for Angel."  
"No.  We were already mates, pet."  
"So you used our friendship?"

"Yeah.  I did.  Neither of us expected you to be so bloody good at your job, Liberty.  We thought you would just find dead end after dead end, which you did for awhile.  But then you found some of the puzzle pieces and started putting them together.  There was nothing I could do to stop it from happening.  I felt worse at telling Angel what you were finding, but it wasn't really hurting anything.  Angel couldn't do a whole lot to stop you from finding out what you were, so I wasn't really helping a whole lot.  I was just keeping him updated.  I felt horrible, though, because I knew I was betraying you.  You're one of the sweetest girls I've ever known.  I would have tortured you a good bit back when I was evil, I loved doing it to the sweet ones."  
"And now I want to forgive you because you haven't tortured me?"

"No, I'm just messing up everything I'm telling you.  Sod it all, Liberty.  I wanted to tell you after you explained the whole situation to me last night.  But I couldn't.  I was too deep and there was no way to turn it back.  There's nothing I can do to change what I did and I'm not really the type to apologize.  I just needed to explain it to you.  If you still hate me, than I guess that's your problem."

He sounded cold at the end and he looked mad.  Little did Liberty know he was anxious inside.  He had butterflies in his stomach as unmanly and unvampiric as it was.  He really liked Liberty.  She was great fun to talk to and if she hated him, his conscience would probably have him jumping on a stake to rid himself of the guilt. 

"I understand, Spike.  I do.  I just really trusted you, Spike.  Of all the people I knew, I trusted you the most, more or less.  We were friends and I thought I could let myself go around you.  Then I found out that you'd been spying on us and lying to me and that was more than I could take.  I couldn't believe it.  But Lorne told me you would have a good reason and he was right.  I understand."

"So we're okay, pet?"

"We're okay.  I was thinking maybe we could go to Outback for that bloomin' onion thing again. It was pretty good."  
"Almost as good as The Bronze's."

Liberty smiled and rolled her eyes at the comment.  "Whatever that is.  So are we on?"

"Yeah.  There's not much to do around here anyway, except bug the boss.  And even that gets a bit tiresome."

"Tomorrow?"  
"Sure."

Liberty leaned forward and gave Spike a peck on the cheek just as Connor walked in.

"If I didn't know better, I'd be jealous."

Liberty grinned as Spike jumped up.  Being caught in a tender moment with Liberty wasn't exactly high on his list.  He had a reputation to uphold. 

"I'll see you later, love, you too, pint."

"At the staff meeting?  I don't know if you'd be invited, but you might as well be there."

"Trying to get under dear ol' dad's skin?"

"Something like that." Connor shot Spike a huge grin, knowing he'd probably be able to form a friendship with the peroxided vampire like Liberty had.

"I'll be there."


	15. Acceptance

**_Gift_**

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

**_Acceptance_**

After Spike had exited the room, Connor made his way around the desk to kiss Liberty.  He could hardly believe that after everything that had happened, something good had come of it.  His new relationship with Liberty.  They hadn't really discussed the kiss earlier, but he didn't think they were going to have to.  They seemed to have an unspoken agreement.  Liberty smiled at him brightly, any sign of her previous anger wiped away.  He liked it when she was happy.

"Did everything work out okay with Angel?"

"He told me more about my life before.  And we agreed not to let my parents in on my true paternity.  He also offered me a job as an intern here."

"Intern?  That's wonderful!"  
"Yeah, well, I won't exactly be doing a bunch of busy work.  I'll be demon hunting and fighting with Angel.  Like I used to do, apparently."

Liberty nodded while she took his hands in hers.

"I can hold my own in a fight.  Maybe I can go with you guys."

"Hey, the more the merrier.  You'll probably be a good strategist too."

Liberty laughed lightly and squeezed Connor's hand.  "You know, I think things are going to be okay."  
"At least for a little while."

"I can deal with a little while."

Connor leaned down to kiss her once more before he pulled her to her feet.  They stood eye to eye, staring intensely at each other as a magnetic force field seemed to pull them closer to each other than either had ever thought possible. 

"I'm going to ask this again, but hopefully there will be different results.  You wanna grab a bite to eat?  After the board meeting of course."

"Sure.  You know why I didn't accept your offer, don't you, Connor?  I thought I was too much of a freak to go out with you.  You didn't know about my gift.  I wasn't sure how you'd take it, either, so I couldn't just tell you and find out.  Besides, you were supposed to be part of my job and I didn't want to mess up my first assignment.  But now I realize that resisting you is futile.  And I'd like to think you feel the same with me."  
"Liberty, I don't think I could ever resist you.  Even when you crushed me when I asked you out."

"Well, I think waiting was worth it, don't you?"

"Yeah.  It's definitely worth it."  
She giggled sweetly and Connor pulled her into his arms.  "We've got a few minutes until the staff meeting.  What will we do?"

"I don't know.  I think we'll figure something out."  With that, Liberty pulled away from Connor and tossed him a folder off her desk.  
"I have a vocab test tomorrow.  We have just enough time to go through the list."

The look on Connor's face was priceless and it made Liberty want to laugh even more.  He sighed in defeat before he opened the folder.  "Ubiquitous."

            Gunn met Lorne halfway to the boardroom.  Gunn looked better without the suit suffocating him, more like himself.  Lorne flashed a sparkling smile, "Hello, sweet cheeks, how are things going?"

"Good.  You know what this meeting is about?"  
Lorne shrugged the question off. Angel had probably called the meeting to talk about Connor's true paternity.  It wasn't his place to tell Gunn about it.  After Gunn found out the whole story, everything would be back to normal, according to Angel Investigations.  Things were starting to fall into place, even without Fred.  He missed the little ray of sunshine he'd found in Fred and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to get it back.  But maybe when things started over again, his life would get back to the way it was supposed to be, working with the stars and helping people onto the right path in their lives.  Gunn opened the door to the room and found Angel already waiting for them.  Angel seemed a little perturbed, making Gunn wonder what was wrong.  He hadn't seen that look on Angel's face since Illyria had disappeared off the face of the earth after Fred had died.  Gunn straightened up, waiting for the bad news.

"Gunn, Lorne, come on in.  The others will be here soon.  But they all already know.  So I thought I'd tell you privately before we went on to other business."

Gunn found his usual chair and slipped in.  He kicked it back to a two-legged tilt.

"What's wrong?  No one else is dying, right?"

"No.  No one's dying.  Listen, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but a year ago I made a deal with Wolfram and Hart."

"Not exactly headline news, Angel.  We all did."  
"Not the same deal.  I agreed to take over Wolfram and Hart as long as they would put my son into a loving family with no memory of his previous life.  Part of that meant no one would remember Connor, except me and the Senior Partners."  
"Meaning what?" Gunn asked as the sinking feeling in his stomach increased. 

"Meaning your memories were tweaked to where you had no memory of Connor or anything that happened involving him."  
"You were messin' wit my mind."

"Yes.  I had your mind messed with.  But it was to protect Connor."  
"Connor.  Who the hell is Connor?"

"Connor Johnson.  That kid that came in a couple months ago wondering about his enhanced abilities.  He's mine."

"And everyone else knew?"

"No.  They were working on the case and starting putting things together.  They just came to my office today about it.  So they've just recently found out."

"Why would you do this, Angel?"  Gunn looked like he was ready to break the chair into something sharp and pointy, making Angel a little bit nervous.  He wasn't exactly looking forward to being on the receiving end of Gunn's wrath.

"I had to.  Connor was losing his mind he was so confused.  He was going to kill some people before ending his own life.  I fixed that, even though it meant betraying your trust."

"I never used to trust vamps.  I did and look where that got me."

"You can still trust me, Gunn.  I had to do this.  I don't regret doing it.  It saved Connor's life and several others.  And now you know."

"And that should make it all better?"

"No.  You'll probably stay mad for a while.  I know Wesley will be.  And Liberty.  Connor too, probably.  But don't blame me completely for taking Wolfram and Hart over.  You were going to take the position here.  You know you were.  I could see it in your eyes before I announced that I had already accepted the proposition."

Gunn knew that was true.  He had looked into the panther's eyes and he had seen what he could become.  He had seen that he could become an excellent lawyer and be more than the muscle.  That's what he had always longed for and the panther had offered it to him.  Still, Angel allowing the law firm to mess with their brains was dangerous.  Then again, he had let them do it to him of his own free will.  And that had cost Fred her life.

"Whatever.  Is the kid comin' here or something?"  
"Yeah.  At the staff meeting."

Angel paused as he felt a weight lifting off his shoulders.  The people closest to him knew the truth and that was all he could ask for.  He wasn't lying to them everyday now.  He wasn't lying to them at all.

"Lorne, you've been awfully quiet."

"Oh, I already knew, Angelcakes.  Ran into Liberty in the hall and she sang a little tune for me.  I think that I have gotten opportunities to meet stars that I never would have before and I can't complain.  I also think that you did what you thought was right.  Maybe it was the right thing.  I miss Fred more than I can ever express, but she's gone.  There's nothing we can do to change that.  In fact, even if we had taken this place over, she may have died.  We'll never know."

"I'm glad you're so open to this, Lorne."  
"I just want to meet the tot."  
"He's not exactly a tot.  He's 18."  
"Well, all the same."

As if on cue, Connor and Liberty walked in, Spike tagging behind.  All that was missing was Wesley.

            "Sorry we're late.  We were…busy."  Wesley apologized as he hurried into the room, Illyria following closely behind.  Angel hadn't expected to see Illyria there.  Only a few hours ago she was tied to a chair and he was interrogating her.  How things change.  Unfortunately, Gunn and Lorne hadn't seen Illyria recently.  The shock was evident on their faces.  Lorne took a long sip of his patented Sea Breeze before looking again at the blue-haired Fred look alike. 

"She looks so much like Fred."  
"She is Fred, Lorne.  In every way but the inside."

Illyria stayed obviously close to Wesley as everyone stared at her.  "You mistake me for the shell."  
"Yes, I do, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart.  Endearments I will never understand.  Each person has a given name and then humans mix everything up by calling them by endearments."

"Illyria is an inquisitive sort.  I apologize.  She can be a little hard to get used to." Wesley said quietly.

Gunn replied, not nearly as quietly, "And you've had time to get used to it?"

Wesley nodded briefly.  "Illyria has been with me for quite some time.  I have been helping her assimilate into our culture."

"Why do you speak of me as if I am not here?"  
"I'm explaining your presence, Illyria."  
"You do not have to explain me away to such lower beings."

"I do, Illyria, because they're my friends.  And they were Fred's."

Gunn broke in again, not wanting to hear the explanations.  "Don't we ever kill the bad guys anymore?"  He looked a little put out, but Wesley tried to assuage his anger.  
"Illyria's not really the bad guy.  I know she's the one that took Fred from us, but then again, so are you.  Illyria had no control over what happened and she's actually quite interesting."

Wesley glanced at Illyria and sent her a half-smile.  She looked away for fear of returning the sign of liking and happiness. 

Gunn sighed.  "Whatever.  You know what?  I don't know why I bother asking questions."

Angel stood from the table as if to get everyone's attention on him.

"Can I start the meeting now?"

"Go ahead, Peaches.  I'm all ears." Spike said as he pulled at his leather duster.  
"Who invited you, Spike?"

"Mini-Angelus."

"You can't call him that."  
"Why not?"

"Because it's not right.  For one, I'm not Angel.  And Connor is definitely not a little Angelus.  Even if he does resemble me during my Angelus days."

It was Connor's turn to play peacekeeper.  "Angel, Spike, come on.  Let's go ahead and start the meeting instead of flirting with each other."

The two opened their mouths to protest immediately, but Connor held his hand up to stop the objections.  Angel finally agreed to start the meeting.

 "All right.  First, I want to introduce our new intern, Connor.  He's my son and he's got some excellent skills for fighting demons.  He just needs some refreshing.  Spike, you'll be in charge of his training."  
"Lovely.  I'm a baby-sitter."

Angel ignored the comment and continued on with the meeting's agenda.

"As of yet, we have no major apocalypses to avert, so things are calm.  Keep your ear out for any sign of one coming, but mostly enjoy the calm.  It doesn't happen a lot."

Liberty glanced around the table while Angel talked.  Connor seemed content to sit there next to her and study every one of his new co-workers.  She decided to do the same.  Lorne seemed completely interested in his Sea Breeze and not much else.  Gunn was watching Illyria with some kind of morbid fascination.  Illyria was sitting sternly in her chair, looking ready to throttle someone at any moment for her entertainment.  Wesley had a calming hand on her arm as if to keep her there or to stop her from saying something wildly inappropriate.  Spike was trying to catch her attention and as soon as he had it, he started to morph in and out of his vampire face as he mocked every action that Angel made.  And Angel seemed almost oblivious to it all, which was possibly the most fascinating out of all she was seeing.  Angel was hypersensitive to everything.  He had to know what the others were doing.  Liberty glanced back at Spike, who held his hand up with his mouth moving comically.  Liberty suppressed a giggle as the realization hit her.  She had spent her whole life looking for a place that she belonged, at home, at school, in the world.  And even though she had doubted it, she had found that place; the heart of a previously evil corporation with a bunch of misfits.  Her place was with two vampires with souls trying to rid the world of evil, a green anagogic demon with a passion for singing and fixing lives, a fallen demi-goddess trying to find her own place in the world, an ex-Watcher falling in love with the demon that had taken over his previous love's body, and a boy with a current identity crisis after gaining the knowledge that he was the child of two vampires.  In fact, compared to them, she was almost normal.  After all, she could only see people's true nature.  She smiled to herself at the happiness she felt.  She did belong.  And so did her gift.

This is the end of Gift.  I thank everyone for reading it and I hope the end didn't disappoint you!  I loved writing every chapter and I had a ton of fun with all the characters.  I hope you all had as much for reading it as I did writing it.  I'd also like to thank each and every one of my reviewers!  You all mean the world to me.  You make me want to keep writing.  You made me want to sit down and write the last two chapters in two days (though you guys had to wait to read the chapters.)  You also helped me know what I could do to make it better.  And I hope I did just that.  Thanks again!  Sassy


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